Freefalling into an Abyss
by Caskett1960
Summary: AU. Sequel to 'Mind Games' and 'A Year in the Life.' Reading those two stories will be a big help in understanding this one. Kate, Alexis, and baby Ariel are in danger when a delusional Josh Davidson escapes from prison. Rated M for safety.
1. Chapter 1--A Time for Joy

**Disclaimers: I don't own 'Castle' and never will.**

**Title: Freefalling into an Abyss**

**Summary: AU. Sequel to 'Mind Games' and 'A Year in the Life.' Reading those two stories will be a big help in understanding this one. Kate, Alexis, and baby Ariel are in danger when a delusional Josh Davidson escapes from prison. Rated M for safety.**

**A/N #1: I want to thank Shutterbug5269 for the idea for this story. **

**A/N #2: Kate will start remembering some of the things that happened during those six days with Josh. Some of it isn't going to be pretty.**

Chapter 1: A Time for Joy

_August 10th—The Hamptons_

Kate Beckett loved to listen to the sounds her almost 15-month-old daughter made as she played with her on the warm grass of the house in the Hamptons. The sound of her laughs and giggles was music to her ears. "You can't run from me, you little chunky monkey," Kate warned Ari, who began to run off on legs that were still unsteady on occasion.

Kate ran after her and quickly caught her, tossing her into the air before catching her and smothering her face with kisses. Ari placed her small hands on either side of her mother's face and rubbed her nose against hers, something she'd obviously learned from her father. "Water!" Ari pointed at the large expanse of beach beyond the house.

"We'll go swimming when daddy gets here," Kate promised.

"Bye."

"Daddy had to go bye-bye. He'll be home in a little while. Come on, let's go inside and play," Kate put Ari on her hip and headed to the house.

Castle had a meeting with his publisher, which was already running later than he'd planned. Kate didn't expect him for at least another hour. She took Ari into the coolness of the house and put her on the floor, laughing as she immediately ran over to the toy box in the corner. She was about to go over and start playing with her when her cell phone rang. "Hi, Alexis," Kate answered on the first ring.

"I tried calling dad, but his phone went to voice mail."

"Yeah, he's in a meeting with Paula and Gina. He should be home soon. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, no, well, I'm not sure."

"Alexis, what's going on?"

"Brian has a mock trial in Arlington, Virginia next week and . . . he wants me to go with him."

Brian Abernathy was Alexis' boyfriend of four months. "Wow, that's a big step."

"I know, and I know that I was supposed to come up there next weekend, but Kate, I really want to be with Brian, too."

"Alexis, your dad will understand."

"Kate, it's just that I know if I go away with him—"

"Alexis, we should really have this conversation in person. I can drive into the city tomorrow, okay?"

"Thanks, Kate."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

"I'm sorry to be interrupting your mini-vacation."

"Alexis, it's okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

After she ended the call, Kate walked over and sat beside her daughter who was happily playing with a huge pile of toys. "I hope that you feel as comfortable coming to me when you're older as your big sister does."

"Lex?" Ari looked at her with Castle's huge blue eyes.

"Yes, Lex. Give me a kiss."

"No," Ari shook her head.

"No? You're so silly."

"No," Ari grinned at her.

"Is daddy silly?"

"No," but she nodded her head.

"That's a 'yes,'" Kate lay on her back and pulled Ari down on top of her. "I love you, chunky monkey," she signed 'I love you,' smiling widely when Ari imitated her actions. "You're so smart."

"No," Ari cupped her mothers' face.

"Somehow I think we're going to regret the day that you learned that word."

"Dada!" She cried out when she heard the door open.

"Lucy, I'm home!" Castle called out, doing his best Ricky Ricardo.

"We're in here!" Kate called out.

Castle stepped into the living room, smiling at the sight of his wife and baby daughter lying on the floor by a huge mess of toys. It was that feeling of domestic tranquility that he never tired of. It was something that he'd never had with either Meredith or Gina. But, from the moment that Kate had moved into the loft with him, she had been his home. Getting married and having a child had only intensified that feeling of home that he'd so missed growing up.

His smile widened as he dropped onto the floor next to them and Ariel came over to him, climbing on top of him like the monkey that she was starting to become. "Hi, sweet pea," he rubbed his nose against hers as she giggled. "Hey," he turned to Kate and kissed her. "So, what have you two ladies done in my absence?"

"We played chase in the yard. We watched 'Mickey Mouse Clubhouse' and 'Little Einsteins.' We missed daddy," she grinned at him.

"I missed you, too."

"Alexis called. I'm going to meet her in the city tomorrow."

"Is she okay?" His eyes reflected his concern.

"Girl stuff, Castle. I'll let you know if it's anything bad. Let's change clothes and take Ari to the beach. Then we'll come home and I'll fix dinner."

They changed into their bathing suits and took Ariel down to the water's edge where they sat and played in the water. "You don't think she's breaking up with Brian, do you? Because I was just starting to think he's a keeper. I don't want to start hating him."

"Castle, she's not breaking up with Brian."

"The tides starting to come in. We should get back," he said, standing up and scooping Ariel up as she started to protest.

He was doing it again, she sighed as she followed him back to the house. He loved that Kate accepted Alexis as her own, but he also got jealous when she came to Kate for advice rather than him. "Castle, there are some things that a girl isn't comfortable coming to her father about. I was the same way. It was always easier for me to go to my mom. I lost a lot of that when she died. We've talked about this before."

"Just tell me one thing. Does it have anything to do with . . . sex?"

"Probably. Castle, Alexis is smart and she's responsible. Take it easy."

"Well, if that's what she wants to talk to you about, I'd really rather not know any details," he said as Kate laughed.

"Okay. Fair enough."

Kate was soaking in the tub that night after putting the baby to bed. She was lying back in the water with her eyes closed, listening to the soothing sounds of Coltrane that were coming from her iPod Docking station sitting on the vanity. Sensing that she was no longer alone, she cracked one eye opened, smiling at Castle standing nude by the tub. "Is there room for two in there?"

"Always," she reached for his hand, tugging on it before she moved up so that he could slide in behind her. Once he was comfortable, she leaned back against his chest. "So, what was your meeting about today?"

"Oh, the usual. Editors' comments, revisions, ideas for cover art. They want art to imitate life."

"How so?" She could feel Castle stiffen up behind her. "Rick?"

"They want someone from Nikki's past to . . . create some conflict."

Kate's heart began to pound in her chest. "Create conflict how?"

"I told them no, Kate. I told Gina that I draw the line on certain things that have happened."

"Why would it have to be Nikki? Why couldn't it be Rook?"

"Because women like to be rescued. At least that's what my publisher and my agent pointed out to me."

"I _wanted _to be rescued. I don't have fantasies about you rescuing me every day. Please tell me that you won the battle, Castle."

"I won the battle, but I sure as hell didn't win the war," he kissed the top of her head.

He sighed as he felt her clutching at his arm, resting her head against his shoulder. He could physically feel her disappearing behind that damn wall again. It had been over two years since that May morning when he'd found her, stoned, cut and bleeding. She still wouldn't talk about those six days. He knew that some of it she simply didn't remember, but some of it was just so awful that she still couldn't face it.

Getting pregnant and giving birth to Ariel almost a year after the ordeal had ended had restored a lot of joy back into his and Kate's lives. Focusing on Ariel had forced her to shove her own issues aside. Now he'd opened his mouth and made her think about it once again. Josh was in prison. He was going to be in prison for at least the next eight years, longer if he and Kate had anything to say about it.

Finally, he felt her reaching for his hand, tangling her long fingers into his even longer fingers. Every time she entwined their fingers like she was now reminded him of that first night. When she'd given him that hopeful smile as she led him into his bedroom. "Tell me a story, Castle," she played with his fingers.

"Hmm. Let me think. Okay, once upon a time there was this beautiful woman named Kate who was one part bad-ass detective, one-part biker chick, one-part wife, and one part mommy to one of the most beautiful little girls in creation. Which part would the beautiful Kate like to hear about tonight?"

"Tell me about the one-part wife part," she continued softly stroking his fingers.

"One day Kate fell in love with this tall, ruggedly handsome writer. Actually, it took her four years to fall in love with this tall, ruggedly handsome writer, but I digress. One day this tall, ruggedly handsome writer took the beautiful bad-ass detective slash biker chick to their favorite swings, where he asked her to marry him. Only she said no."

"She must've been high at the time."

"Must've been. The bad-ass detective slash biker chick told the tall, ruggedly handsome writer that she needed some time. You see, the tall, ruggedly handsome writer is somewhat impulsive while the bad-ass detective slash biker chick is much more methodical and likes to think things through. So, a couple of weeks later, the detective slash biker chick—"

"Hey, what happened to the adjective? I thought she was a _bad ass_—"

"You've asked me to stop cursing so much."

"Castle, you've already called me _bad ass_ four times already. Please continue."

"Okay, so the _bad-ass _detective slash biker chick asked the tall, ruggedly handsome writer if he still had her ring because she was ready to answer a very important question. So the tall, ruggedly handsome writer retrieved the ring and came into the kitchen, where he got down on one knee and asked the beautiful, _bad-ass_ detective slash biker chick if she'd marry him."

"And what did she tell him?"

"She told him yes, of course. After all, she would've been a fool not to."

"Yes, she would have," she turned her head to kiss him. "If you want Nikki and Rook to have a kid, that's terrific, Castle. But, I'm not ready to relive the whole Josh nightmare. Okay?"

"Okay. I was already so not going in that direction, anyway."

After making love, Kate had her chin propped up on Castle's chest while he traced lazy circles down her bare back. Her hazel eyes met his dark blue ones. "Do you think that you'll ever remember all of it?" He suddenly asked.

Kate didn't say anything. She just lay her head down on his chest, listening to the calming sound of his heart beating under her ear. The last thing that she wanted to talk about right now, especially after being made love to, was her ordeal at the hands of a man that she thought she'd known so well. "I don't know. All I do know is I wouldn't wish that on anybody, especially not my alter ego. She's been through enough."

"So have you," he rested his hand on her back.

"So, has Alexis said anything about working with Perlmutter?"

"Just the same thing that all of us have been saying for years. There's a reason why the dude works with the dead."

Kate laughed against her husband's chest. No longer an intern, Alexis now assisted at the M.E.'s office during her breaks from school. While her M.E. of choice was Dr. Lanie Parish, lately she'd been stuck with Dr. Perlmutter, who definitely didn't have Lanie's cheerful disposition, to put it politely. "Yeah, Perlmutter is definitely an acquired taste. Did I ever tell you that he used to scare the shit out of me?"

"Really? I didn't think anybody scared you," he teased her.

"My first homicide case, Roy sent me down there to wait for a tox screen. I went down there and Perlmutter yelled at me. He told me that was his morgue and when something was ready, he'd call me. I was almost crying when I went back up to the bull pen. Roy told me that I'd better grow a pair and get down there to wait for my screen. He told me that I had to show Perlmutter that I wasn't afraid of him."

"I've always wondered if the guy is married."

"Nobody's had the nerve to ask."

"Could you imagine having him walk through the front door at the end of the day? Scary," Castle shuddered as Kate began laughing.

"Castle, I can't believe that we're actually lying here in our bed talking about Perlmutter."

"You're right," he reached for her and pulled her up to him. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she kissed him before curling up in his arms and going to sleep.

***CCC***

_August 10__th__—Ossining, New York_

Josh Davidson, otherwise known as prisoner number N137890, was busting his ass in the hot summer sun. But, while his hands were busy, so was his brain. His brain had been busy pretty much every second since he'd arrived at this hell on earth. His days had been busy, first in the prison infirmary, but for the last two weeks out here on the prison farm.

The warden had been shocked when he'd requested the outdoor work detail.

"_But, you were a doctor on the outside, Davidson. We could really use your skills in the infirmary."_

"_Look, I've been cooped up indoors for almost two years. Except for the exercise yard, I mean. Have I not been a model prisoner?"_

"_Yes, but—"_

_I just want to do something different."_

The warden had reluctantly agreed, so now he was out here with a hoe in his hands, glancing around. The prison farm was on the outside of the prison. While the inmates were guarded, it was far easier to plan an escape from the farm than it was on the inside where there was razor wire and armed guards.

Josh had plans. Plans that he'd been concocting for over two years. Plans that had started that day in May when he'd been arrested for allegedly kidnapping his former girlfriend. His insides seethed as he thought about those pictures he'd seen in that magazine two weeks before. Happy pictures of Kate, that writer, and their family. A family which would've been his if everything had gone according to plan.

"Davidson, you'd better get working," the guy at his side hissed at him. "Holloway's looking this way."

Josh once again began chopping at the rocky soil. But his mind drifted to thoughts of Kate. But also to Richard Castle. He looked up, scanning the tree line beyond the farm. He estimated that it was 100, maybe 200 yards from where they were standing now to the tree line. There were benches with containers of water sitting on them, much like you'd find at football practices. In the two weeks that he'd been working the farm, Josh had noticed that the guards didn't pay any mind when the inmates went over to get water or relieve themselves among the trees. Like everything else, the system was seriously flawed.

"You thinking about your girlfriend and kid again?"

Josh had started talking to the man at his side when he'd come to work the farm. He'd intimated that the baby in the magazine was his kid. The dumbass was too stupid to work the math out in his head and realize that he was being conned. "Yeah."

"Man, if she was my old lady, I'd probably have to take care of the problem, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. I've thought about it."

Josh glanced longingly once more at the tree line before returning to the backbreaking work at hand. It wasn't time to make his move, but soon. Very soon.

***CCC***

_August 11__th__—New York City_

"Kate!" Alexis waved as Kate entered the restaurant.

"Hi, sweetie," Kate greeted her with a kiss and a hug before sitting down across from her.

"How's Ariel?"

"Terrific. She's spending time with daddy today."

Alexis smiled as the waiter came over and handed Kate a menu. "So, did dad ask why you were meeting me?"

"I told him that it was girl stuff that he wouldn't be interested in."

"He didn't believe you, did he?"

"Not for a second," Kate smiled. "He did ask if you needed anything."

"No, there's plenty of food at the loft. I'll be glad when you guys come back to town next week. It's a little quiet."

"We'll be back on Tuesday evening. So, tell me about this trip with Brian."

"He has a mock trial in Arlington next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. He's coming back Sunday afternoon. He wants me to go with him."

"Okay. Do you want to go?"

Alexis looked at Kate with huge blue eyes. "I think so. Do you think that I'm ready?"

"Alexis, I can't answer that question for you. It's a big step. One that I'm frankly surprised you haven't already taken with him. After all, you've been together for four months."

"I haven't been ready and he's been really sweet about waiting. I mean, it isn't like we haven't done anything. I'm not that big of a prude."

"Alexis, I'm not suggesting that you are. It's just that in this day and age—"

"I know. I guess when I was younger, I always remembered my dad talking about how young he was when he became a father. And then they were pretty strict at school about that sort of thing. If a girl got pregnant, she was pretty much out the door. Also, my dad and my grandmother made sure that I was comfortable enough that I could come to them, so I didn't need to seek out immature teenage boys for what I was missing at home."

"Alexis, I'm glad that you've waited. If I had it to do over, I would've waited."

"How old were you?"

"Sixteen and it was not exactly what I thought it was going to be. Is there anything that you need to know?"

"No, I got the birds and bees talk a long time ago," Alexis made a face as Kate laughed. "I guess I'm just a little nervous."

"And that's okay. The nice thing about being with a man rather than a teenage boy is hopefully he'll listen to what you want. And Alexis, make sure that you let him know what you want. If you can't tell him, then take his hands and show him. Believe me, that's always fun," she smiled as Alexis rolled her eyes. "Sorry, TMI?"

"Just a little. So, what're you going to tell my dad?"

"Oh, just that you're going away for a long weekend to get your freak on with your boyfriend," Kate teased and laughed when Alexis picked up her napkin and threw it at her. "The truth. I won't lie to him, Alexis. Besides, it's not like you're 15."

"You do realize that he's never going to let Ariel leave the house."

"It's okay, because I've already threatened to have her fitted with a chastity belt."

They talked about other stuff over lunch; Brian's law school classes, Ari's latest words, Alexis' work at the M.E.'s office. "I'll be glad when Lanie gets back from vacation."

"Perlmutter's not exactly a riot to work with, huh?"

"Oh, he's a barrel of laughs, believe me," Alexis said sarcastically.

After they finished lunch, Kate gave Alexis a ride back to the loft. "Be careful, okay? And if you need anything, don't hesitate to call, no matter what time it is. We'll be back on Tuesday evening."

"Okay," Alexis hugged her once more.

***CCC***

Castle was in the pool with Ariel when Kate got home, so she changed into her suit and went to join them. "How was lunch with Alexis?" He asked after kissing her.

"Good. I told her that we'll be home Tuesday. How long has she been in the pool, Castle?" Kate asked after examining Ari's tiny fingers.

"A while," he admitted.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Has she had lunch?"

"Of course. What kind of a father do you think I am? So, what did you and Alexis talk about?"

"Oh, not much. She's going to Arlington with Brian next weekend for four days," Kate announced as she removed Ari from the pool.

"She's what?" He got out of the pool and followed them into the house.

"She's not a child, Castle!" Kate reminded him. "Brian has a mock trial next weekend and he's asked Alexis to go with him."

"Was she even going to tell me about this?"

"Of course. She just wanted to run it by me first. Castle, she'll be fine. Smart and responsible, remember?"

"First she's going off on weekends with him and then she'll be telling us that she's marrying him."

"Rick, one step at a time, okay? She's just going away with her boyfriend. Besides, if I know Brian, he'll be coming to you, not Alexis."

"So, you see that in her future?"

"Yes," she turned from where she was changing Ari's clothes. "If not with Brian, then with somebody else. Personally, I hope that it's Brian."

"You like him, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," she finished dressing Ari before putting her on the floor. "And, you do, too. He reminds me of you."

"How so?" He was curious as he followed Kate into the kitchen and watched while she made Ari a snack.

"He's funny, sweet, and if it came down to it, he'd do anything to protect Alexis. Just like you'd do anything to protect us. Also, she felt comfortable enough to tell him about Paris and he didn't get all weird like she said her other friends have when she's tried to talk about what happened with them."

"So, you're saying that she loves him?"

"Yeah, Castle. When you can confide everything to another person that usually means that you love them."

"Just yesterday I was teaching her to ride a bike, and tie her shoes. I'm too young to be a grandfather," he rubbed his hand over his face.

"Castle, it's a weekend! They aren't getting married and Alexis certainly isn't about to make us grandparents."

"You'd consider yourself the grandmother of Alexis' children?" He asked, his eyes wide with wonder and love.

"Of course. Castle, Alexis is as much my daughter as Ariel is. You've always made sure of that. She comes to me for advice about everything. When's the last time she went to Meredith about anything?"

"In that case, you're definitely too young to be a grandmother. Alexis had better not plan of having kids until she's at least 30."

Kate just rolled her eyes as she smiled at her husband.

***CCC***

_August 13__th__—New York City_

"So, what should I pack, anyway?" Alexis was on her cell phone talking to Brian.

"Just some casual stuff. Maybe a nice dress for Saturday night. They're hosting a dinner for the members of the mock trial. I think it's just business casual, though. I was thinking that maybe we could go to the Washington Mall Sunday morning before we head back."

"Yeah, that sounds great," she stepped off of the elevator and began walking down the hall toward the loft.

"So, are you home?" He asked, as he heard her digging through her purse for her keys. "Alexis, how many times have I told you to have your keys in your hand _before _you get to your front door?"

"Brian, I live in a secured building. Nobody gets past the doorman if they aren't recognized—" her words were cut off in a sharp scream as a hand clamped over her mouth.

"Alexis! Alexis!" Brian could hear something drop to the floor and the sound of scuffling, followed by a silence that was as deafening as the loudest noise on earth. "Alexis! Answer me! Alexis!"

_August 13__th__—The Hamptons_

Kate was asleep when she heard Castle's cell phone ring. She shot up in bed and looked at Castle, who was staring at the caller id, not recognizing the number. "Hello?"

"Mr. Castle, it's Brian. I was on the phone talking to Alexis and something happened."

"What do you mean, 'something happened?' Where are you?"

"I'm standing outside of your loft. I found her purse and her cell phone by the front door."

"Brian, tell me _exactly _what happened!" Castle shouted as he turned on the speakerphone so that Kate could listen in.

"We were talking and I could hear her searching for her keys. I was telling her about rooting for her keys when I think . . . I thought that I heard her scream."

"Brian, this is Det. Beckett! Hang up and call the police right now! Don't try to find Alexis yourself! Call the police! Don't touch anything! We'll be there as soon as we can!"

They both leaped out of bed and dressed as quickly as they could, neither wanting to voice the terror that they were feeling. "How did someone get into the building? It's a secure building!" Castle reminded her.

"I don't know, Castle. I'll get Ari and meet you downstairs."

***CCC***

_August 13__th__—New York City_

When Alexis opened her eyes, her hands were tied behind her back. She stared up but it was too dark to see anything. She could hear footsteps in the darkness and wondered what nightmare she'd found herself in this time. One minute she'd been talking to Brian and the next she had a hand over her mouth. "Hello!"

"Shh, don't talk," she heard a man's voice in the dark. "We'll be moving soon."

That was when she realized that she was in the floorboard of a vehicle with a blanket thrown over her. She wasn't blindfolded, which meant one of two things; either he wasn't worried about her identifying him or he wasn't going to leave any witnesses. She took some deep breaths to calm herself like her therapist had taught her after Paris. She hoped that Brian had heard her and had called her dad and Kate. Or at least the police.

She felt the vehicle moving and tried to listen to the sounds outside, but the blanket was muffling everything. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm sending a message."

"A message to whom?"

"Don't worry, Little Castle. You'll know soon enough."

'Little Castle.' The only people who called her that were the people from the 12th. So she knew whoever it was that had her. Or he knew her. "How did you get into the building?"

"I got in because people are stupid and lax. It's not hard to notice things when you watch and wait. No more talking."

Several minutes later, the vehicle stopped. She heard the engine shut off followed by a door opening and closing, followed by a rush of warm air as another door was opened. The blanket was yanked off of her, and then a strong hand grabbed her, yanking her from the vehicle. She was in an alley, but she didn't know where. "Please don't hurt me!"

"Payback time," the man shoved Alexis ahead of him, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

He roughly rolled her onto her back and hovered above her. Alexis' eyes widened in fear and recognition at the menacing face that was inches over her own. It couldn't be. He was in prison. She'd only seen him in person once on an awful morning four year before. She remembered him attacking her father while they were awaiting word on whether Kate was going to live or die. He'd tormented Kate for almost six days two years before. How had he gotten out? Why hadn't her father or Kate said anything?

"I want you to pass a message along to your daddy and Kate. I want what's mine. That means that I want Kate and I want my kid. Nothing's going to get in my way this time. Also, tell Kate that she'll know the place where you were attacked. It has _meaning _to her."

Alexis stared up into eyes that were cold and deadly. Then she gave a cry when she saw the glint of the blade in his hand. That was when her survival instincts kicked in.

After she'd returned from Paris, Kate had enrolled her in self-defense courses. And while she wasn't nearly as good as the detective, she'd proven that she could hold her own. While her hands were immobilized, her feet weren't. She lashed out, kicking and screaming, not even feeling the pain as her attacker fought back.

"Hey, get off of her!" She heard a man's voice calling out.

She heard Josh's footsteps as he ran off into the darkness. The pain in her ribs and face was excruciating. She could taste the bitter taste of blood as it filled her mouth. She rolled over to spit out the taste, heaving for breath. "Miss, are you all right?" She heard a second voice at her side.

"Police," she gasped out.

"My buddy's already called 9-1-1."

"Javier Esposito, Kevin Ryan. They know me. They . . . work . . . with my . . . dad," she managed to gasp out before darkness claimed her.

***CCC***

_August 14__th__—Midnight; Road to New York City_

Castle's eyes were fixated on the road as he drove like an Indy car driver toward the city. Kate kept glancing in the rearview mirror on her baby daughter, who was sleeping in her car seat. They'd been on the road for over an hour and still had at least an hour to go before they reached the George Washington Bridge leading into the city.

Castle hadn't said two words since they'd left the house. Kate had tried to talk, to soothe him with words, but he was stone-faced. She understood why, of course. His daughter was missing. Kate had talked to the cops on the scene, who'd told her that they'd found Alexis' purse and cell phone abandoned in front of the door leading into the loft.

"_We're dusting for prints and we'll let you know if we find anything, detective."_

"_Thanks."_

Kate jumped when her cell phone rang. She winced when she saw the caller id. 'Please, no,' she whispered to herself. "Rick, it's Javi. Pull the car over. Please, Rick?"

He did as she asked before she answered the phone. "Put it on speaker," Castle said, his voice unrecognizable.

"Beckett!" Kate said into the phone.

"Beckett, we found Alexis. She's on her way to St. Vincent's."

"Is she okay?" Castle asked.

"She has some broken ribs and some cuts, but she looks to be okay otherwise."

"Javi, where did you find her?"

"Uh . . . "

"Esposito, what is it?"

"Beckett, the U.S. Marshals will fill you in on everything when you and Castle get here."

"U.S. Marshals? What the fuck, Javi?"

"Just get here fast. Little Castle is asking for you guys. Also, she was asking for her boyfriend. Can you call him and let him know where she is?"

"Yeah, Javi. I'll call him. Thanks."

Kate hung up and looked at Castle, who had that look on his face. The look that she'd only seen a few times before and never wanted to see again. He didn't say anything. He just simply put the car back into gear and pulled back out on the highway, heading toward the city and his daughter.

***CCC***

_90 Minutes later_

When Kate and Castle arrived at the hospital, they were shocked to find several U.S. Marshals, as well as members of the 12th, including Gates, Espo, and Ryan outside of the trauma room where Alexis was being treated. Brian was pacing the halls, stopping when he saw Castle and Kate. "Have you seen her?" Kate asked.

"No, she wanted to see her dad. She kept asking for him. I got to her as fast as I could," the young man grabbed huge handfuls of his hair.

"Brian, Brian. It's okay," Kate placed a hand on his arm. "You did everything right."

"I should've walked her upstairs when I took her home—"

"Yes, you should have," Castle's voice came out as a feral growl. "I thought that you were supposed to be such a gentleman!"

"Castle, stop," Kate urged him, shifting the still sleeping baby in her arms. "Go and see Alexis. She's been asking for you. Go."

Castle walked into the room on shaking legs. His heart dropped into his stomach at the sight of his daughter – his baby girl –lying on that gurney, so pale and fragile looking. Her face was badly bruised and her right cheek was covered with a huge square of white gauze. As if sensing that he was there, she opened her eyes and held her arms out to him, bursting into tears. "Daddy!"

"Oh baby, I'm here," he rushed over and pulled her to him tight, pulling away when he heard her hiss of pain. "Are you okay? What happened?"

It was then that he heard the screams of rage and terror coming from the other side of the trauma room door. He looked at Alexis and then toward the door. That was when he heard the words. "What do you mean he's escaped? Why in the fuck didn't anybody call and tell me?"

"Daddy, it was . . . it was Josh," Alexis choked out as Castle stared at her in disbelief and blood boiling rage.

**A/N #3: Bam! Said the lady. There you have it. Please read and review. While it's dark, there will be light at the end of the tunnel. I plan on resolving the Josh situation once and for all. **

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. 10 more days, peeps!**


	2. Chapter 2--Campaign of Terror

**Disclaimers: I just own the story. Andrew Marlowe is responsible for everything else.**

**Summary: While the U.S. Marshals and the police search for Josh, he starts a campaign of terror against the Castle's. **

**A/N #1: The ramification of Castle inviting the paparazzo to Ariel's first birthday comes to light in this chapter. **

Chapter 2: Campaign of Terror

_August 14__th__—St. Vincent's Hospital_

Kate was pacing up and down the corridor outside of the room where Alexis was being treated. Ari, having heard her mother's screams of rage, had awakened and was hysterically shrieking. "Beckett, let me take the baby. You're scaring her," Capt. Gates reached out for the baby.

Kate looked at her boss before reluctantly handing Ari over to her. "When did he escape?" She finally managed to ask.

"Late yesterday afternoon," U.S. Marshal Ben Griebs answered. "He was assigned to the prison farm. They noticed that he was missing when they did a head count before they went back into the prison."

"By yesterday do you mean the twelfth or the thirteenth?" Kate asked, trying to process the information.

"The twelfth."

"So, he escaped over 24 hours ago? Why wasn't I notified?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? He attacked my daughter!" Kate screamed at him. "How can you _not know_?"

She looked toward the room when she heard the door open and saw Castle standing there, his face dark with fear and rage. He looked over and saw Capt. Gates bouncing Ariel in an effort to relax her. "Brian, can you go and sit with Alexis?" Castle choked out. "If she wakes up, tell her that I'll be right there."

"Yes, sir," Brian immediately walked into the room.

"Rick, is she okay?" Kate walked over and tried to slip her arms around him, needing the comfort of his body. But he was like holding onto a board.

"She's sleeping. Where is her doctor?"

"He should be back to check on her," Ryan told them.

"Alexis told me that she has some broken ribs and she thinks that he . . . cut her face when he hit her. Where did you find her?" Kate noticed the look that passed between Ryan and Esposito. _"Where _did you find her?" He repeated.

"We found her in the alley where your mother was murdered," Ryan looked at Kate.

"I'm going to find him and I swear to fucking god that I'm going to put a bullet through his head," Castle warned through clenched teeth.

"You're not going to do any such thing, Mr. Castle," Marshal Griebs looked pointedly at him. "You're going to let us find him and get him back into custody. We don't need any bloodshed."

"How did he escape? Why wasn't my wife notified? You do know what he did to her, don't you?"

"We've read his file. I'm looking into why Det. Beckett wasn't notified. Right now, I don't have any answers and I'm certainly not making any excuses."

"Good, because there are no excuses."

"Daddy!" They heard Alexis screaming from behind the door.

Castle turned and ran back into the room with Kate right behind him. "I'm here, baby," he rushed over to the bed and cradled Alexis in his arms. "Shhh. You're okay. Kate's here too, baby."

"Kate!" Alexis let go of her father and reached out to Kate, who started crying as she held her.

"Alexis, I'm so, so sorry."

"He's crazy," Alexis released Kate and stared at both of them, as well as Brian. "He said to tell you that he was coming after you. He said that he wants his kid."

Kate ran her hands through her tangled hair before getting up and quickly leaving the room. Brian was so confused. "Mr. Castle—"

"Mr. Castle," the door opened and a man in green scrubs walked in. "I'm Dr. Charles. Your daughter is an extremely lucky young woman, thanks to two men who happened to be in the right place at the right time. She has four broken ribs and 11 stitches in her cheek. As soon as she signs her release papers, you can take her home."

"Wow, that's the best news I've heard all night," Castle smiled at Alexis.

"Just take it easy and see your regular doctor to have those stitches removed in about a week," the doctor told her as he handed her a clipboard.

"Thank you," Alexis smiled as Brian and Castle helped her to sit up.

"Pumpkin, I'm going to go and check on Kate. Brian, can you help her out?"

"Yes, sir."

When Castle stepped out into the hall, Ryan directed him toward the waiting room. He walked in and found Kate sitting in one of the chairs with Ari resting against her breast, her thumb in her mouth. "As soon as Alexis gets dressed, we can take her home. Brian's helping her."

"Castle, I'm going to take Ari home and then I'm going to go to the 12th with the boys. I have to know how this happened."

"Kate, didn't you hear what Alexis said? He's coming after you and Ariel! He attacked Alexis! He would've killed her if someone hadn't heard her screaming for help. Which was almost a first for New York City, where nobody hears anything."

"Castle, I'm going to be okay. I'm never going to be any safer than I would in a precinct full of cops and U.S. Marshals. You can keep Alexis and Ari safe. You've done it before."

"I need to call my mother," he suddenly announced. "I need to let her know that Alexis is okay and to be careful. I'm not going to try and stop you from going to the precinct, because I'd just be wasting my breath. Will you please be careful?"

"You, too," she reached for him and gently kissed him.

When they arrived home almost an hour later, Kate carried Ari upstairs to the nursery while Castle helped Alexis up to her room, followed by Brian. Castle had asked the young man to stay at the loft in case Josh decided to go after him, too. He also figured that there was strength in numbers since Kate was leaving to go to the precinct.

"Mr. Castle, who is this guy?" Brian asked after Castle had come downstairs from Alexis' room.

Castle walked over to his liquor cabinet and poured two glasses of Scotch, before walking over and handing one of the glasses to Brian. "You look like you need this as much as I do."

"Thanks," Brian stared at the glass in his hand.

Upstairs in the nursery, Kate changed Ari's diaper before putting her in her crib, placing her rag doll beside her and covering her with her favorite blanket. She'd just finished when her cell phone rang. The number that came up was unfamiliar, but she thought that it could be someone from the Marshals' service. "Beckett!" She answered the phone as she stepped out of the nursery and pulled the door behind her.

"I want my daughter back, Kate!"

"Josh, every cop in the city is looking for you. Turn yourself in!"

Castle looked up to the top of the stairs when he heard Kate on the phone. He immediately pulled out his phone and called Espo. "Espo, when Kate comes in, take her phone. Josh is talking to her right now. More than likely it's either a pay phone or a burner, but you never know. Okay." He hung up and looked at Kate, motioning for her to keep Josh on the phone.

"No shit," Kate covered the phone as she glared at Castle. "Josh, please turn yourself in. It's going to get ugly if you don't."

"Kate, you haven't seen ugly, yet. I want my kid! I want to see her!"

"Josh, she isn't yours," Kate's voice was cracking. "She's Castles' baby. I'll die before you get anywhere near her."

"Well, if that's what it takes," he said before the call ended.

"Josh? Josh?" She came down the stairs. "He's delusional. He thinks that Ari's his."

"How'd he even find out that you had a baby? She was born after he went to prison." 

"When I went to visit him, I told him that I'd had a baby, but I didn't tell him what we had. I remember him asking me what I had, but I know I didn't tell him. It's just one more thing I'll look to answer. Anyway, I'm going to go."

"Be careful," he walked her to the door. "Call me when you're leaving the precinct."

"Okay," she reached out to him as he hugged her. "Take care of Alexis and the baby."

"I will," he kissed the top of her head.

"Mr. Castle, is it really a good idea for Det. Beckett to leave? After all, that guy is still out there."

"I can't stop her," Castle said after he closed and locked the loft door. "The one thing about Kate that you should realize is she never backs down from a fight."

"Mr. Castle—"

"Brian, it's just Castle or Rick," he said when his cell phone rang. "Hello, mother. She's fine. Mother, it's Josh. He escaped from prison. I think you'd be safer if you were here with us. I've got Brian here with me, Alexis and the baby. Kate went to the precinct. I'd just really feel much better if you were here. Okay, I'll see you soon."

"Mister – Castle, who is this guy?"

"Kate dated him for almost a year. Apparently, he didn't take their breakup well, Right after we got married, he kidnapped her," Castle told him as Brian's eyes got huge. "He held her for six days. He kept her drugged the entire time. She doesn't remember most of what happened to her. He hates me, which is why he went after Alexis."

"He had his chance and she didn't want him," Brian pointed out.

"That's not why he hates me."

"Then, why?"

"I don't have the right to tell you about that. It's not my place. I'm sorry."

***CCC***

Kate was tired. She'd only been asleep for about an hour when Brian had called Castle the night before. "Espo, Ryan! Have you found out anything about how Davidson was able to escape from prison?"

"No. What're you doing here?" Espo asked.

"Trying to find an asshole. I'm doing my job," she handed him her cell phone. "I tried to keep him on the phone, but I doubt he stayed on long enough to get a trace."

"I'll see what I can do," Espo took the phone.

"Det. Beckett," Agent Griebs stepped out of the break room, "what're you doing here?"

"Why does everybody want to know why I'm here?"

"You're safer at home with your husband and children."

"No, I'm safer here in a building full of cops! I'm _not _hiding from him! I'm _not _letting him win!"

"Fine, but we'll see about getting you a protective detail."

"Whatever," she ran her hands through her hair, hating how tangled it felt. "When he called a little while ago, he said that he wanted his daughter back. He's clearly delusional. But, while he knew that Castle and I had a child, he didn't know the sex of that child. I want to know how he found out about my daughter."

"Lucky guess. He had a 50/50 chance of getting it right," Griebs told her.

"No, he _knew_. It wasn't a lucky guess. I want to go to the prison and talk to the warden."

"I'm going out there later this morning. You can ride out there with me."

"Okay."

"Detective, I read his file, so I know why Davidson was in prison. Has he made any threats toward you or your family since his incarceration?"

"I've gotten letters, but I've burned them. So, I don't know."

"How many letters have you received?"

"I don't know. Half a dozen, but like I said, I burned every one of them. I never even opened them. I went to visit him a year ago, but it was for closure on the advice of my therapist."

"Had he made any threats against Mr. Castle or your stepdaughter before today?"

"No. When he held me for those six days, he said that he was doing it to hurt Castle, but he never actually threatened Rick directly. He never made any threats toward Alexis. Why wasn't he working in the prison infirmary? He had been a heart surgeon on the outside."

"From what my marshals have been unable to uncover, he was working in the infirmary until about two weeks ago. He then asked to be moved to the prison farm. He told the warden it was because he wished to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine."

"He was a convict! He didn't have the right to breathe in fresh air!"

"I guess he learned from the other inmates that the prison farm was the least guarded area of the prison. No walls, no wires, no guards in towers. Det. Beckett, I'm sorry to say that this has been a problem with almost all of the prisons in the country. Budget cuts means less guards, which means it's easier for inmates to slip away from work details."

"What was his record in prison up until now?"

"He was a model inmate. No infractions, he kept to himself. He helped some of the more illiterate inmates with their appeals and stuff like that."

"Of course he did. He had to save the world."

"The phone was a bust," Ryan announced as they approached her and Griebs.

"Do you have a land line?" Griebs asked as Kate nodded. "Does Davidson know the number?"

"I don't think so, but it's a listed number."

"We'll arrange for a tracer to be placed on your phone in case he calls there."

"Beckett, you look tired," Ryan observed as Kate glared at him. "Why don't you grab a couple of hours in the break room? We'll wake you up if anything comes up."

"Where's Gates?"

"Talking to the Chief of D's; filling him in on Davidson's escape."

"Okay. Wake me up if anything comes up. Can I have my phone back?"

"Sure."

***CCC***

Brian opened his eyes to find Alexis standing over him, confusion clouding her face. "Brian, what're you doing here?"

"Your dad thought it'd be safer for me to stay here until that guy is caught. How do you feel?"

"Sore, but lucky to be alive. Where's my dad?"

"Asleep. Your grandmother got here earlier. She's crashed in the baby's room. If you show me where everything is, I can make some coffee."

"Where's Kate? Is she asleep, too?"

"No. She went to the precinct."

"Oh," she sat on one of the barstools and pointed out where the coffee was as Brian made a pot.

"Alexis sweetheart, are you all right?" Martha came downstairs with Ariel in her arms.

"I'm okay, gram," Alexis smiled, reaching out for the baby, who took one look at the bandage on her sister's face, puckered her lower lip and burst into tears. "Ariel, it's okay. It's me. It's Lex."

Ariel just cried harder, which caused Alexis to burst into tears and run upstairs to her room. "What's going on?" Castle stumbled out of the bedroom. "Oh, I smell coffee."

"Alexis is upset because the baby is upset."

"Okay, I'll go and talk to her," Castle went upstairs to his daughter's bedroom. "Alexis, it's me. Can I come in?"

"I look like a freak! I scare my own sister!" Alexis sobbed when her father came into the room.

"Sweetie, Ariel's upset because all of us are upset. You don't look like a freak." He sat on the edge of her bed and drew her into his arms, being careful of her broken ribs. "When the scar heals, we'll find a good plastic surgeon, okay?"

"Daddy, I'm glad that I was on the phone with Brian."

"So am I," he kissed her head. "His number is now programmed into my phone. I'm glad that you were smart enough to give him my number."

"Josh is going to come after Kate again. Kate and the baby. And you."

"We're not going to let that happen. But Alexis, maybe you should consider going to stay with your mom for a while."

"No!"

"Alexis—"

"No, daddy! I'm staying here with you, Kate, and Ariel. I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay," he relented. "Okay, pumpkin. But if it gets dicey, I'm putting you on a plane myself without any arguments."

"Fine."

"And I'm sure that once Ariel has breakfast, she'll go back to being her cheerful, bouncy self again. How about some strawberry smiley face pancakes?" 

"Okay," Alexis smiled.

Downstairs two members of the U.S. Marshals Service were with Ryan and Esposito, talking to the doorman. "Does everybody who enters the building have to pass by you?" The marshal asked.

"Uh . . . not necessarily," the doorman looked down at the ground. "This is a non-smoking building, so some of the employees have to go around the side of the building to grab a smoke. They keep the fire door unlocked."

"It's unlocked at all times?" Espo asked.

"Yeah."

"Show us," Ryan commanded as the doorman led them around the side of the building to a propped opened fire exit. "It's probably not going to do any good to dust for prints." They walked inside where they all saw the elevator at the far end of the corridor, far from the lobby. "This has to be how he got in."

"How would he know about it?"

"By watching and observing," the marshal said. "All he had to do was walk around and wait. He knew that he wasn't going to get past the doorman due to his past history with Det. Beckett. So, he just walked around and waited for an opening. I see people losing their jobs over this one."

"Hell, they'll be lucky if Beckett doesn't line them against the wall and shoot them herself," Espo said as Ryan nodded in agreement.

Kate had taken a two-hour power nap before leaving with Marshal Griebs to go to Sing-Sing to question the warden about Josh's escape. "He was a model prisoner," the warden told the two visitors. "I was surprised that he wanted to leave the infirmary. He was an excellent doctor. We considered ourselves lucky to have him, despite the circumstances."

"Were there any inmates that he was close to?" Kate asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, can we talk to them?" Kate stared at the man.

"Of course."

"We'd also like to have a look at his cell," Griebs added.

Inmate Harold Baxter was the first person they interviewed. "I can see why he was upset about being in here. You're even prettier than he said."

"He talked about me?" Kate looked at Griebs.

"Yeah, he talked about how madly in love you were. He talked about wanting to get a new trial so that he could get out of here and be with you and your kid."

"Mr. Baxter, I'm the reason—"

"What did he tell you about his kid?" Griebs asked, cutting Kate off.

"Not much. Just that he wanted to be with it."

"'It? Did he have a son or a daughter?"

"He never said. I never even knew the kids' name. Just that you had one together before he got locked up."

Arnold Benavidez was more forthcoming. "I didn't know if he had a boy or a girl until about two weeks ago."

"What happened two weeks ago?" Kate asked.

"I don't know. He started talking about his little girl a lot more. I don't remember her name, only that it started with an 'A.' He talked about her and you all of the time. He called you the love of his life."

Kate felt like throwing up. It was clear that Josh was definitely edging his way toward 51/50 status. After Benavidez was taken back to his cell, the warden led them to Josh's cell. Kate and Griebs went through every inch of it, uncovering pictures of Kate that he'd somehow managed to sneak into the prison. It was Griebs who found the torn pages from the magazine. "Detective, you might want to take a look at this," he held the pages out to her.

The nausea grew in her gut as Kate stared at the pictures that had been taken at Ari's first birthday. Every detail of her daughter was printed under the pictures. Kate noticed that Castle's face had been removed from the photos taken of them as a family. "Son of a bitch!" She handed the page back to Griebs.

"This is evidence. Do you need anything else?"

"No, I've seen and heard enough."

***CCC***

After talking to the doorman, Espo, Ryan, and the marshals went upstairs to the loft to ask Alexis more questions. She sat at the dining room table with the men, Brian at her side, offering moral support. "Alexis, did you hear anything before Josh grabbed you?"

"No. I was trying to find my keys. Brian was scolding me for digging for my keys. I was saying something and then I felt a hand over my mouth."

"You said last night that you think that you passed out," Ryan looked at her as she nodded.

"Yeah, because I woke up and it was dark. I had a blanket over me, but I was in the back floorboard of a car."

"Alexis, I want you to do something for me," one of the marshals looked at her. "I want you to close your eyes and think. Was it a big car or a small one?"

"I couldn't see," she tried to explain.

"Use your sense of where you were," he told her. "Were you able to stretch your legs out comfortably or where they cramped?"

"Uh, I could stretch out and not touch anything."

"It was probably an SUV or a truck," the marshal said. "What did he say to you?"

"He called me 'Little Castle.' That's how I knew it was somebody who knew me or at least knew _of _me."

"Were you familiar with Mr. Davidson?"

"I'd only met him once when Kate was shot several years ago. My dad and Kate didn't want me going to his trial after what he did to Kate."

"But he knew that your dad's friends called you 'Little Castle?'" Alexis nodded. "What else did he say?"

"He said that he was sending a message to my dad and Kate. He said that he wanted Kate and he wanted _his _kid."

"Wait! I thought—"

"Ariel _isn't _Josh's! She's my father's!"

"I'm sorry. Go ahead."

"He had a knife and I started fighting. Then I heard someone yelling and he ran off. Did you get the names of those men who saved me?"

"Yeah. We'll give them to you if you'd like to thank them in person," the marshal told her.

"He took me to the alley where . . . where . . . Kate's mother was murdered. He did it on purpose," tears began trickling down her face. "Are we almost done? I'm tired and my ribs really hurt."

"Yeah, we're done for right now."

"Come on, I'll help you up to your room," Brian put his hand under her elbow and helped her to her feet.

Castle was playing with Ariel when everybody came out of the dining room. He got up and scooped the baby up in his arms. "Are you okay, pumpkin?" He asked.

"I'm okay, dad. Brian's going to help me upstairs to my room."

"Okay, sweetie," Castle watched as Brian led Alexis up the stairs to her bedroom. "What did she tell you?"

"He did all of this as a form of sick revenge against you and Beckett," Ryan told him. "He pulled a knife on her and that's when she started fighting back. That's probably how she got the cut on her face."

"I want to thank those two guys who intervened. If it hadn't been for them—"

Upstairs in her room, Brian was sitting on the edge of Alexis' bed, holding one of her hands in both of his. He noticed the red welts around both wrists. "Your hands were tied?"

"Behind my back."

Alexis startled when her cell phone rang. "It's Dr. Parish," Brian held the phone out to her.

"Hello? Hi, Lanie. No, I'm okay. Well, I'm not _okay_, but you know what I mean. How did you find – Really? He called you? Wow, I didn't think he cared about living, breathing people. Uh, Kate's not here. She's working the case. Lanie, I'll be okay. I'll just be moving a lot slower for a while. Thanks, Lanie. I'll tell my dad that you called."

"So, who called her?" Brian asked after Alexis gave her phone back to him.

"Perlmutter. She said that he actually sounded concerned."

"Maybe he enjoys working with you."

"Brian, you've met Perlmutter. Dead people are his friends."

"I'm just saying it doesn't mean that he doesn't care about you. Alexis, I didn't know . . . that Kate's mother—"

"Brian, don't. It's not a good subject."

"I'm sorry. I was thinking that I could go to my professor and explain to him that I can't go to the mock—"

"No, Brian. I'll be fine. I don't want you to miss your mock trial. It's a huge opportunity for you. I would've loved to go with you."

"Maybe you still can. I mean, we might not be able to get as romantic as we would've liked, but I'd still like for you to be my date."

"We should wait and see if they find Josh. Because if they don't, there's no way my dad and Kate would let me go. They'd fear for my safety every second."

"I can understand that. If you were my daughter, I'd worry about you if there was a psycho on the loose."

"I love you, Brian."

"Really?" He looked at her with an expression of such utter shock that Alexis had to laugh despite her ribs.

"Yes, really. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"I don't know. I'm just . . . wow. I love you too, Alexis," he bent down and kissed her. "Why don't you try and get some rest?"

"Okay," she smiled. "Will you stay until I fall asleep?"

"Absolutely."

The marshals had just placed the tracer on the land line when the phone rang that afternoon. Castle got up and walked over to the phone. "Castle," he answered the phone.

"Richard Fucking Castle. Just the douche bag that I wanted to talk to. How's your little girl?"

He'd already been told to keep him talking. Let the recorder take care of the conversation, but keep him talking, which was the last thing Castle wanted to do. "They're looking for you, Davidson. There isn't going to be a rock that you can hide under this time."

"Oh, I'm not worried about it. Maybe I can force you to kill me and she loses both of us. Or maybe I can take away _everything _that you ever cared about. I'll start with your lovely mother and just work my way on down the line to your precious little Ariel, with Kate's big smile. Or, maybe she's really _my _kid. I want them back, Castle! Kate and the kid!"

"You have totally flipped! Ariel is my daughter, Davidson! And, it'll be a cold day in hell before you ever get near Kate again!"

"Castle, ask Kate about those six days. Ask her about how she begged me to fuck her. She came so hard and so fast around my cock that it blew my mind."

"You were drugging her, you sick, twisted fuck!"

Coming down the stairs, Brian stopped when he heard Castle on the phone. He didn't know what this Davidson guy had done to Det. Beckett during her six days of captivity, but it sounded awful. What he'd done to Alexis had been pretty bad, but at least she'd survived relatively unscathed. He looked across the room at baby Ariel, who was peacefully sleeping in her playpen. Mrs. Rodgers had left the loft for a little while to run an errand having to do with her school.

"So, does she ever say my name when you're bed, Castle? Because your name spilled from her lips on more than one occasion when she was in my bed. I hate you and I always have."

"Yeah, I figured that one out a long time ago, Davidson."

"A word of warning, Ricky. Keep them close. Keep all of them close, because you don't know where I am and you don't know when I'm going to strike next. I'm your worst fucking nightmare, Castle."

With that last warning, the connection was ended. Castle pulled out his cell and called the precinct. "This is Castle. Is Beckett back from the prison, yet? Her phone's still going to voicemail. Davidson just called. Yeah, I'll hold."

"Castle, what did he say?" Capt. Gates voice came over the line.

"He just threatened my entire family."

"I'll let Griebs know. He can assign marshals to watch your apartment. Did you record the call?"

"The tracer picked it up. I kept him on as long as I could."

"How's Alexis?"

"Scared, shaken, but she'll be okay. If she can survive being kidnapped and taken to another country, she can survive anything."

"We're going to find him, Mr. Castle."

"I hope so, sir." Castle hung up and walked over to the couch beside Brian. "You're probably asking yourself what in the hell you've walked into."

"Yes sir, that thought has crossed my mind. But, when you love someone, you sometimes have to put up with a lot of drama."

"Brian, there's drama and then there's murderous psychopaths. Josh Davidson falls into the murderous psychopath's category. And, did you just say that when you love someone? Are you telling me that you're in love with my daughter?"

"She said it first," he looked sheepish as Castle sighed and shook his head.

Castle was about to say something further when the door literally flew opened and Kate stormed in. "This is your fault, Castle!" She slammed the page from the magazine into his chest. "You invited the paparazzi to our daughter's birthday party! I told you that this could happen! Of course I was more worried about some pedophile fixating on her and not my psycho, delusional ex! How could you do this to her? To me?"

Ari had heard her mother screaming and woke up screaming herself. Brian jumped up and strode over to the playpen, lifting her from it. "It's okay, sweetie," he crooned to her as she continued to cry. Everything that had happened in the past 18 hours was starting to seriously affect the normally cheerful baby.

"I'll take her," Kate walked over and took Ari from Brian before going upstairs to the nursery.

"What did she give you?" Brian asked, as Castle handed him the torn magazine page. "Oh, wow. Maybe you should go and talk to her."

"Look Brian, please don't tell me how to handle my wife, okay? You've been coming around for what? Four months? That doesn't make you an expert on this family and it certainly doesn't make you an expert on that woman upstairs."

"I apologize. Look, maybe I should head back to my apartment."

"No."

"Mister – Rick, I don't have any clean clothes. At least let me go and pick up a few things."

"Fine, but can you wait until the marshals get here? I don't want you going anywhere alone until this guy is caught."

Kate was sitting in her rocker, humming softly to Ari, who was huddled to her mother's breast, her thumb in her mouth. An occasional hiccupping breath came from the baby's mouth. "Oh, my sweet baby girl. I'm so sorry that we're dumping all of this drama on you so early in your life."

Kate stroked the baby's soft curls as she began humming once again. Humming and soft singing had always had a calming effect on Ari and this time was no different. Within minutes, she was ready to climb down from her mother's lap and over to the toys in the corner. Kate continued sitting in the rocker, watching Ari at play. "Daddy," Ari called out happily.

Kate turned to see Castle standing in the doorway. His eyes looked so sad, so defeated. She got up out of the chair and walked over to him, wrapping her arms tightly around him. "I'm so sorry, Castle."

"Kate, you need to call your dad," he told her.

"Why?"

"Davidson called. He threatened the whole family."

"Castle, when is it going to end?" She began sobbing. "I just want it to be over."

As he held her, Castle could feel that dark rage beginning to seep over him again. The same dark rage he'd felt when he'd tortured Doug Stevens that night. He no longer knew what to believe and what not to believe. Kate had told him once that she had no memory of events only to find out later that she'd been lying to him. He found himself wondering if she was lying this time, as well.

**A/N #2: I went to clear up a little confusion. Ariel is NOT Josh Davidson's daughter. Go back and read 'Mind Games' if you're confused.**

**A/N #3: I'd like to find out what makes Perlmutter tick. Do we even know his first name? All I know is he can be counted on for a witty line or two every time he's on the show.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. **


	3. Chapter 3--Seeds of Doubt

**Disclaimers: Nope, although it's nice to dream.**

**Summary: Josh's taunts start to plant seeds of doubt in Castle's brain.**

**A/N #1: I want to thank the reviewers who told me that Dr. Perlmutter's first name is Sidney, and that he is indeed a married man. While I have watched all of the episodes multiple times, I'm still fairly new to the 'Castle' fandom, having just become a fanatic just last summer.**

**A/N #2: In '47 Seconds,' Castle learned that Kate had lied about not remembering anything from the day of her shooting. Her claims of not remembering as well as her past times of lying to Castle will play a large part in the first part of this chapter.**

**A/N #3: There will be a reference in this story to my story 'That is True Love.' **

Chapter 3: Seeds of Doubt

"No. No. Kate, I'm sorry."

Kate woke up when she felt Castle tossing and turning. "Castle," she gently shook him. "Rick, wake up. You're dreaming."

His eyes shot opened and he stared at her in confusion. "Kate, I'm sorry. For everything."

"Shhh," she rubbed his chest.

"I made a promise to you and I broke it. I promised you that I'd keep you and our children out of the spotlight. I never thought that he'd come after us again."

"I know. I didn't either. I'm sorry that I took my anger out on you. I still don't know why they didn't call to let me know that he'd escaped."

"Embarrassment. It slipped through the cracks. Who knows?"

"Well, it would've been a hell of a lot more of an embarrassment if he'd killed all of us, wouldn't it?"

"The prison system doesn't want to take responsibility and admit that they made a mistake."

"Made a mistake? This wasn't a mistake, Castle! This was a colossal cluster-fuck!"

"I know. They're going to find him, Kate."

"How and when? And who else is going to get hurt before they do?"

"Nobody else is going to get hurt. We've got heavily armed U.S. Marshals with us 24/7 until he's found. The breach in the building has been taken care of."

"Well, Bracken's now on house arrest awaiting trial. Maybe after Josh is caught, we could take them to Central Park, give each of them dueling pistols and let them shoot it out. Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak."

"It would fulfill one of my fantasies," he grinned at her. "I really am sorry. I never thought a few photos would endanger all of us like this."

"I know," she pressed herself into the warmth of his body. "Castle, what did he say when he called yesterday before I got home?"

"Just the usual delusional bullshit. They haven't let you listen to the tape?"

"No. I guess they don't want me any angrier than I already am."

Holding her to his chest, Castle remembered all too clearly the words from the day before. The words Josh had used to describe what he'd done to Kate during those six days. About how she'd begged for it. Two years later, Kate still claimed to have huge holes in her memory. But Castle had to wonder if that was really true. She'd told him that once before.

He knew that Kate had spent a great deal of her life after her mother's murder running and hiding when things got rough. They'd agreed after their engagement that they'd both stop lying to one another. He knew that they were doomed to fail if things didn't change.

The next morning Kate was making herself a cup of coffee before heading back to the 12th when she heard Ari through the baby monitor. Just as she was getting ready to go upstairs to get her, the phone on the counter began to ring. Her gut told her that it was Josh. Almost everybody they knew called them on their cell phones. Her eyes met Castle's from the bedroom doorway. "Are you going to answer it?" He asked her.

"Can you get Ari and dress her?" She reached for the phone with a shaking hand. "Hello?"

"What's wrong, Kate? Hoping that if you ignored the phone, I'd hang up? Not a chance."

"Josh, I'm begging you to please turn yourself in. They're going to kill you if you don't."

"I'm telling you again, Kate. I want to see my daughter. If you let me see Ariel, then I'll go away. If you let me see her, I'll never bother you again."

"I don't ever want to hear _Castle's _daughters' name come out of your mouth again! And do you really think that we're just going to let you ride off into the sunset if I were to let you see her, which is _never _going to happen!"

"Have you asked Castle what he and I talked about yesterday? Kate, it's not rape when you're a willing participant."

Kate's knuckles whitened as she gripped the phone. Two years later she was still trying to come to terms with the guilt that she felt about what had happened during those six days. He had drugged her. Of that, there was no question. Ketamine had shown up in her lab work at the hospital, and Esposito had found a whole cooler full of it in the room where she'd been held. "You drugged me, Josh," she finally choked out. "I had no control of my body or my mind."

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. You might believe it, but does Castle?" With that, the call ended.

"Kate?" She turned to find Alexis standing there watching her. "Was that him?"

"Yeah, it was him," she walked over and embraced the young woman carefully, avoiding her taped up ribs. "Alexis, I want you to do me a favor. _Don't _answer this phone. Let your dad or me answer it. I don't want him getting inside of your head. It's what he does. He tries to get in your head."

"Is that what he did when he took you?" Alexis asked, unaware that her father was standing at the top of the stairs with Ariel in his arms.

"Yeah, but he used the Special K to help him in the process. He did awful things to me, but in my mind – nothing felt real. I just don't want him getting in your head."

"She doesn't want you knowing what he did to her," Castle came down the stairs. "But, the question that you have to ask yourself, Kate, is who's lying? Josh or you?"

"Castle, what're you talking about? What did he say to you?"

"Not here. I'm not having this conversation where we can be overheard by my mother, my daughter, and her boyfriend."

"_Your _daughter? Castle, I'm going to ask you again. _What _did he say to you?"

"Richard—" By now Martha had emerged from where she'd been sleeping on the small bed in Ariel's room.

"Mother, take Ariel, Alexis, and Brian out of here. Make sure that the marshals stick to you like glue. Go!" He thrust Ariel at his mother. "Alexis, you and Brian, go!"

Alexis looked at Brian and her grandmother and then back at Kate, who just nodded. "I'll just grab the stroller," Alexis ran over to the large closet and pulled out the stroller. "Text me when we can come back."

Castle waited until the three adults had left the loft with the baby. "Kate, I know that he drugged you. Lab results don't lie. But, you have lied to me before."

"Are you talking about when you told me that you loved me? Yes, I lied about that! And I told you why I lied about it!"

"No, I'm not talking about that, although all roads lead to that. I know that he . . . he assaulted you, Kate. But, did you let him do it so that he wouldn't kill you?"

Kate stared at this man that she thought she knew. "Did I . . . let him? No, I didn't _let _him! By the time you and Ryan found me, I was hoping that he'd kill me! Castle, my mind was so fucked up! I still have to fight flashbacks of him doing things to me with his fingers and his prick. Things that I'm not sure are real or not. Are you asking me if I remember anything else other than what I've told you? Is that what you want to know?"

"Yeah, I guess that it is."

"Do you really want to know every last sick detail of what I remember? I love you, Rick. If I tell you what I remember, you're never going to be able to look at me the same way ever again."

"Kate, sit down and talk to me. I know that he's playing games with our minds. Like you said before, that is his ultimate goal. To destroy us. You took the power back from him once. Let's both of us take it back again."

Control had always been important to Kate. Loss of control was something that she couldn't stand. She had always prided herself on being able to keep her emotions under control. That had all ended when she met Richard Castle. From the moment she'd met him, she learned that she had a force that she couldn't control, no matter how hard she tried. He was funny, he could be charming, irritating, and childish, but he'd managed to work his way into her heart. She couldn't imagine a life without him as a part of it.

Remembering the horrendous things that Josh Davidson had done to her had been another thing that she couldn't control. He had drugged her with the animal tranquilizer Ketamine, knowing that she'd have no control over anything that happened to her while under the influence of it. He had then filled her head with horrible lies while assaulting her repeatedly. She had been handcuffed and at times, tied to the bed, unable to fight anything that was being done to her.

In the two years since she'd been rescued, she'd suffered nightmares and flashbacks that were so horrible she thought she was going to go insane. Castle had held her through countless nights of bad dreams and had brought her back from the edge of the abyss when she had flashbacks.

He watched Kate as she got to her feet and began to pace, running her hands through her hair. "Castle, I can't!" She wailed. "I love you! You're going to hate me! I couldn't fight him!"

"I know," he got up and walked over to stop her pacing.

"I woke up and I was barely dressed. I felt his mouth on me and I thought that it was you, Castle. He knew me. He knew what I liked sexually and he used it against me. He would make me . . . come and I was repulsed by it," she wiped at her face. "But my mind was so messed up. If he saw that I was beginning to think clearly, he'd just give me more and the whole cycle would start all over again."

"Do you remember how you managed to get away from him that last day?"

"I think the night before he told me once again that you didn't care about me. That it was your fault that I got shot that day in the cemetery. I didn't even argue with him anymore. I just let him ramble. I tried to think. I didn't know where I was. I just knew that I had to get away. I had to find you, Castle. But I knew that you weren't going to want me when I told you what he'd done. I told him that I had to go to the bathroom. I was thinking halfway clearly, but I didn't want him to know that, so I acted kind of loopy. When he brought me back to the bed, I kicked him. He fell and hit his head on the floor, so I got up and ran for the stairs. When I was running up the stairs, he grabbed my ankle. Somehow I kicked him again and I think that's when he fell down the stairs. I heard his head hit the steps and I thought I'd killed him. I hoped that I'd killed him."

"Kate, you couldn't help what he did to you. You couldn't stop your body's reaction to it."

"I didn't want that doctor to run a rape kit at the hospital because I knew he wasn't going to find any tearing or bruising. When I was in patrol, I questioned rape victims who were ashamed because they had an orgasm during their attack. I'd give them the same party line that you're giving me; the same one that Lanie gave me. About it being the body's natural response to being stimulated. But Castle, I've always been the one in control! He took that control away from me! And now he's doing it again! If those two men hadn't heard Alexis' screams, he would've killed her. And he's doing it because I fell in love with you. Because I rejected him. I'm so sorry that he hurt Alexis, Rick. I'm so sorry that he's forcing you to listen to details of what he did to me. That he's acting like I wanted him!"

"Kate, you did what you had to do to survive. To get back to me. We're going to get this scumbag and he's going to pay. But, we have to start talking to each other. You don't have to run and hide anymore."

"Rick, I'm so scared."

"I know."

"Not for me, but for the baby. She's sensing our anxiety."

"I know, but kids are resilient. The second that this is over, we'll go somewhere as a family and regroup."

"I love you so damn much," she wrapped her arms around him as he hugged her just as tightly.

"I love you, too."

"Forgive me?"

"Always," his lips came down on hers in a long, slow kiss, always Kate's favorite type of Castle kiss. He then pulled away and rubbed his nose against hers as she gave him a wide smile. "I don't want you to be afraid to tell me what you remember. I'm not going to judge you."

***CCC***

Alexis and Brian were pushing Ariel on the baby swings while Martha sat on a nearby park bench. In the distance they could see several men wearing jackets with 'U.S. Marshal' stenciled on the back. "They don't exactly blend into the background, do they?" Brian noticed.

"In the years that my dad and Kate have known each other, I've learned one thing. Federal agents aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer."

"So, will your dad and Kate be okay?"

"Oh, they've had big fights before. My dad's a big talker. Kate has a tendency to keep things inside. It drives my dad nuts. I just remember the one time when I met Josh, he just seemed angry. He didn't strike me as being crazy."

"So, you said that Kate got shot. How was that your dad's fault? You mentioned to that marshal that Josh blamed your dad."

"It's a long story. My dad was right by her side when she got shot. He tried to save her, but he was too late. It was the scariest thing I'd ever seen."

"Wait! You saw her get shot?"

"So did my gram. For a second, I thought my dad had gotten shot. I was angry about it for a long time. Are you sure you want to stick around?" She teased as her cell phone chimed. "It's my dad. He said it's safe to go back to the loft."

Brian slowed the swing and removed Ariel from it, putting her back in the stroller before taking Alexis' hand and leading her from the park while Martha and the agents followed. As they walked he felt himself looking at the face of every man that they saw, even though he had no clue as to what Josh even looked like. He supposed if he was going to stay at the loft, it might be a good idea to know who he was supposed to be on the lookout for.

When they re-entered the loft, Castle was sitting on the sofa with his laptop. "Where's Kate?" Alexis asked.

"She went to the 12th for a while," he smiled before putting his computer aside and going over to retrieve Ariel from the stroller. "Hi, sweet pea."

***CCC***

When she got to the precinct, Kate demanded to hear the tape of the call Josh had made to Castle the day before. She cringed as she listened to his hateful words. "So, he drugged you?" Griebs asked after Kate had finished listening to the tape. "For how long?"

"The whole time I was there. Castle and Det. Ryan found me in the woods, but I was so confused that I didn't know up from down. I was hallucinating. I thought that it was some kind of a trick that he was playing on me. Even after it was over, I had hallucinations for the better part of two days. I remained paranoid for weeks."

"Det. Beckett, in order to get Davidson, it might be necessary to play his game."

"No!"

"Please listen to me."

"No! Don't you understand? I never want to be in the same room with him ever again! He's trying to destroy my life! He's trying to destroy my family! He's putting doubts in Castle's head! I just want you to find him and put a bullet through his brain!"

"Det. Beckett . . . Kate . . . I understand how you feel—"

"No, you don't. Are you a woman who's been raped? Have you been handcuffed to a bed hand and foot for six days? No, so don't tell me that you understand how I feel."

"He's not making the calls from the same two areas. We can't triangulate where he is. We need to get him to come to us. And the only way he's going to do that is through you."

"He's going to know it's a setup."

"Maybe," he agreed. "But, how good of an actress can you be?"

"Castle will never allow it. He won't let me expose our daughter to him."

"I'm not saying that you should take your baby. We'd never allow her to be exposed to danger."

"I can't do it." She got up and ran from the room.

Ryan and Esposito were sitting at their desks when Kate ran toward the elevator. "Beckett!" Espo called out as both men watched Marshal Griebs come out of the break room. "Bro, what did you say to her?"

"I suggested that we spring a trap. Get Davidson to come to her."

"Are you insane?" Ryan jumped to his feet, causing Gates to exit her office. "You said that you read Davidson's file? Do you have any idea what he did to her? He kept her doped up with Special K, he raped her repeatedly, and he held her prisoner for six days. _Six days!_ It took her months to even be semi-normal again. Her and Castle just want this to be over."

"So do I, Det. Ryan."

"She suffers from PTSD. Did you know that?" Espo glared at the marshal. "When I first met her, she was freefalling, bro. Right into an abyss. Straight down. Sometimes I think that Richard Castle is the only thing that helps her hold onto her sanity. Davidson took her three weeks after they got married. After we rescued her, it took her a long time to come back. When you have PTSD, sometimes it's all you can do to put one foot in front of the other. If you want her to confront Davidson herself, you might as well just give her a good shove down that fucking hole. 'Cause that's where she's heading."

The two detectives got up and headed for the elevator, Ryan pulling out his cell on the way. "Castle, it's me. Bring your shadow and get down here. Beckett's seriously teetering over that rabbit hole, dude. Meet us on the roof."

They found her on the roof staring out over the city that she loved so much. "It's a good thing you're not scared of heights," Espo said as they approached her.

"Am I wrong? Maybe I should arrange to meet him."

"No," Ryan told her. "That asshole Griebs is the one who's wrong. Beckett, can you think of any places where he might go? Does he still have his bike?"

"His bike?" She turned toward Ryan. "Uh, he used to keep it at a garage on 53rd. I don't know if it's still there."

"Fifty-third and what?" Espo asked.

"Uh Lex, I think. I don't know if he still has access to his bank accounts. Why didn't we think of any of this before?"

"Kate, I checked his financials. He hasn't touched his checking account or any of his retirement accounts. They're all still active, but there hasn't been any activity on them since he broke out."

"I wonder if he has cash in a safe deposit box," she wondered out loud.

Slipping into detective mode was what Kate did best. It gave her that feeling of control that she needed. Focusing on the other aspects of Josh's escape took her mind off of what he was doing to her and her family. "We'll get a warrant and check the banks. What about hotels? Was there anyplace he'd go to?" Espo asked.

"No. Castle's a Four Seasons and Plaza kind of guy. When I was with Josh, we never did anything like that."

"We're going to find him, chica," Espo assured her as the door to the roof opened and Castle stepped out with his marshal.

"What're you doing here?" She smiled, gasping when he walked over and pulled her into a fierce embrace.

"Ryan called me. Are you okay? What happened?"

"They want me to meet with Josh. They're hoping—"

"No, Kate."

"Shh," she cupped his face. "I already told Griebs that I won't do it."

"Baby, I am so sorry that I did all this," Castled pulled her tightly against him once more.

"Beckett, we'll go down and send the affidavit to Judge Markway for the warrant," Ryan told her as he and Espo left them alone.

"Castle, I know that I was angry yesterday, but I when I saw the pages from that magazine in his cell, I just saw red. I know that you'd never intentionally put any of us in danger. I know that you'd die before you ever let that happen."

"Do you remember the night that I 'talked' to Doug Stevens?"

"Do you mean the night that you appealed to his humanity? Yeah, how can I forget?" 

"When I went into that room, I was filled with such a dark rage that my vision actually darkened. Does that make sense?" She nodded. "When Espo called you and told us that they'd found Alexis, I was so scared. I didn't know what we were going to find when we got to the ER. But, when she told me that it was Josh who'd done that to her and then I heard you scream outside of that door, I just wanted somebody to hurt as much as I did at that moment. If he'd walked into the room at that moment, I would've ripped him apart. But, when you came into the loft yesterday and shoved that magazine page into my chest, I just felt sick. Because I was the catalyst. I might as well as taken Alexis to that alley myself."

"No," Kate pulled away from him. "Castle, please stop. When you invited the photographers to Ari's birthday party, you were just being a proud father. Being a proud father is one of the things that I love the most about you. I hate that I'm so suspicious, but I guess that's the cop in me. We're suspicious by nature."

"So, what're the boys running down?"

"We're looking to see if maybe Josh has some money stowed away in a safe deposit box somewhere. His bank accounts haven't been touched. I'm sure that most of his money has probably gone for his defense and his appeal, but he has to have access to money somehow."

"I should get home to the girls and Brian, who's probably asking himself just what kind of family he's walked into. Did I tell you that Alexis told him that she loves him?"

"No," Kate smiled. "Oh Castle, that's wonderful. I'll let you get back. Please be careful."

"You, too," he kissed her.

***CCC***

Alexis and Brian were playing with Ariel, who was toddling back and forth between them with toy cups and plates. "Have you ever thought of having one?" Brian asked, as Ariel came over to him with a tiny tea cup.

"Of course, but not for a while yet. My mother was my age when she had me and she wasn't nearly ready. What about you?"

"Sure, I'd like to have two or three. Was it lonely growing up as an only child?"

"Sometimes, but my dad's a big kid, so we always had a good time. He taught me to play laser tag and even now, we still have battles sometimes. It drives Kate and my gram crazy. But sometimes we can get Kate to play, too, and those are the best times of all. He can't wait for Ariel to get old enough to play so it'll be two against two." 

"Wow, I can't even imagine my dad playing laser tag with us. We were lucky to get him to play monopoly."

"You're seeing the serious side of my dad right now, but he's usually pretty unconventional."

Brian was about to say something when the phone rang. Martha came downstairs to answer it. "Mrs. R., Det. Beckett asked us not to answer the phone. She said that only she or Castle were supposed to answer it."

"Nonsense," she scoffed. "I'm not afraid of that silly man."

"Gram, you should be," Alexis warned her grandmother. "If those two men hadn't stopped him, he would've hurt or killed me."

"The phone is just going to ring until one of us answers it."

"Then, let me do it," Brian stepped up and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Who is this? Are you from the police or maybe the Marshals Service? I know you're not that Irish cop Ryan. You don't sound wimpy enough."

"I'm just a friend."

"Brian, don't play into his trap," Alexis hissed at him.

"Is that the little redhead that I hear in the background? Let me guess. You must be the boyfriend."

"Brian," he waved Alexis silent.

Brian was about to say something when the door opened and Castle walked in, followed by his marshal shadow. When he saw Brian on the phone, he strode over and grabbed the phone. "Josh?"

"Wow, this was just starting to get interesting, Castle. How's Kate? Tell her that green isn't her color. Purple brings out her eyes, but I'm betting that you already know that."

Castle grabbed a pad and a pen, scribbling a note to the marshal. 'He's watching Kate. Knew what she was wearing today.' The marshal nodded as he took out his phone.

"She told me what you did to her."

"Hmmm. Tell me something, Castle. How long did it take before she let you fuck her after I got done with her?"

"It wasn't too long," Castle figured that two could play this game. "After all, she needed a real man to satisfy her after you got done with her."

"Richard!" "Dad" He heard his mother and Alexis admonish him.

"You know what, Castle? By the time I'm done with Kate this time, she'll be begging me to kill her."

With that, the call ended. "That was stupid, Mr. Castle," the marshal told him. "Griebs has got a team doing a sweep of the precinct. They doubt he's anywhere in the vicinity now. But taunting him wasn't a good idea."

"Yeah, I know. I think he just upped the ante."

Later that night, Castle was writing on his laptop while Kate lay on her side just watching him. There was something fascinating about watching his fingers fly on the keyboard as he made his characters and scenarios come to life. "So, what exactly did you tell Josh that pissed Marshal Levin off so badly?"

"Oh, he told you, huh?" He looked at her as she nodded. "Josh asked me how long it took you to let me fuck you after you were rescued. I told him that it wasn't very long after your rescue. Because after all, you needed a real man to satisfy you once he was finished with you."

"Are you almost done with that?" She indicated the laptop.

"I am now. Why?" He saved his document and put the laptop on the floor by his side of the bed.

"Because I'm in need of a _real _man to satisfy me," she reached her hand around his neck, pulling him down toward her.

"You're not mad that I taunted him back?"

"I should be, but no." 

As he let his hands travel under her shirt, he couldn't help but fear for her safety. He knew that by his taunting Josh back, he'd made an already bad situation 100 times worse.

**A/N #4: Kate will reveal more to Castle in the next few chapters. Please read and review.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. 8 more days! I can't wait. **


	4. Chapter 4--This isn't About Me, Anymore

**Disclaimers: No, but today I'm wishing that I did.**

**Summary: Josh ups the ante considerably. This chapter earns the M rating, because well, Caskett needs the release.**

**A/N #1: I want to thank all my reviewers, as well as those who have marked me and my story as favorite; also those who are following me. While I disagree with the reviewer who thinks my stories are the best she's read on FF, I'm happy to have my ego stroked, much like my favorite TV writer, Richard Castle.**

**A/N #2: Conflict between my couples is a specialty of mine. I never will break them up, but I like conflict. I think this is because there's so much of it in my own life. **

Chapter 4: This isn't Just About Me, Anymore

_August 16__th__—A coffee shop in Soho_

It was just past 6:30 on this August morning. A morning that promised heat as the day wore on. Jim Beckett stepped outside with his usual cup of coffee as he made the trek to his law office up the street. His mind was on the cases he had scheduled for that day and on his daughter.

Katie had called him two evenings before to warn him of the possible danger that he could be in.

"_Dad, Josh Davidson has escaped from Sing-Sing. He attacked Alexis last night."_

"_Oh my god. Is she okay?"_

"_Yeah, she's going to be fine. Dad, he's been calling and making overt threats. I want you to be careful."_

"_Katie, don't worry about me. You take care of my granddaughter."_

"_Dad, I'm serious. Make sure that you keep the house locked up. Be aware of your surroundings."_

"_Okay, Bug. I'll be fine. I'll see you in a few days."_

Katie worried about everybody far more than she ever worried about herself. After her mother died, she'd tried to take care of him from 3000 miles away while he lost himself at the bottom of a bottle of Scotch seven nights a week. By the time he'd finally sobered up and realized that maybe she needed someone to take care of her, it was far too late.

It was only after admitting her feelings for Castle that she'd let someone take care of her, but she was still so stubborn and self-reliant. But unlike him, Castle had learned when to take a step back and when to step forward when she needed him.

"Mr. Beckett?" He heard a voice behind him.

When he turned to see who was addressing him, two shots rang out.

_The loft_

Kate smiled across the counter at her daughter who was sitting in her high chair, enjoying a snack of sliced bananas and strawberries. "I'm sure after last night that daddy is going to be very hungry," Kate grinned at her as Ari made a scrunchy face back at her. "You're so cute!"

"Cute!" Ari shouted back.

"Oh no, don't encourage her," Martha groaned, walking into the kitchen to fix a cup of coffee. "If you tell her she's cute, she'll want her ego stroked constantly." 

"Kind of like her father, huh?" Kate joked.

"Exactly. Where is our young houseguest?"

"Oh, he had a class this morning. Fortunately, Alexis' classes are all online today. But, she wants to go back to work at the morgue."

"At least she'll be in a protected environment," Martha said.

"I think she just wants things to be normal. I can't say that I blame her," Kate said as her cell phone rang. "Can you flip those?" She asked as she looked at the number on her cell phone. "Here we go again. He's starting early. Josh, what do you want?"

"Katherine Beckett?" An unfamiliar voice came on the other end of the line.

"This is Katherine Beckett," Kate's heart began to pound.

"This is Det. Connelly from the 27th precinct in Soho. I'm sorry to tell you this, but your father has been shot."

Kate's scream was loud and primal. _"DADDY!_" She sank to the floor with the phone still clutched in her hand.

Castle came running from the bedroom at the same moment that Alexis came thundering down the stairs. Seeing Kate on the floor, he reached down and carefully removed the phone from her fingers. "This is Richard Castle, I'm Det. Beckett's husband. Who is this?"

"Det. Connelly from the 27th precinct. Your father-in-law has been shot. He's been taken to New York Presbyterian."

"We're on our way," Castle quickly ended the call. "Kate, you need to get dressed. We need to go and see about your father. Come on," he finally got through to her as she allowed him to help her to her feet. "Mother, can you keep an eye on the baby?"

"Of course," Martha looked over to where Alexis was trying to calm Ariel down as she screamed from her high chair. "Richard, call us the moment you know anything."

Kate didn't even remember dressing or going down to Castle's car as the three U.S. Marshals trailed behind them in their own vehicle. It wasn't until they were in the parking lot of the hospital that she snapped back to the present. "Did you call the 12th?"

"Not yet. I'll call them as soon as we get inside," he looked at her.

They raced into the hospital, followed by their shadows. "I'm looking for information about my father. James Beckett. He was brought here after being shot," she told the woman at the information desk.

"Det. Beckett?" She turned to find an African-American man dressed in a suit and tie walking toward her. "I'm Det. Walter Connelly from the 27th precinct. I'm investigating your father's shooting."

"How is he?"

"We don't know, yet. The doctor's name is Barkley. He was shot twice. Once in the chest and the second one hit him in the shoulder. He was conscious when we arrived on the scene. He gave us the name of his shooter."

"Let me guess. Josh Davidson," Kate looked at the detective.

"Yes. You're familiar with him?"

"Very. He escaped from Sing-Sing four days ago. He's been tormenting my family since then. He attacked my daughter three days ago."

"You were the one who sent him to prison?"

"It's a long story. Look, I need to find out about my father," she walked off down the hall.

"I'm Richard Castle, Det. Beckett's husband," Castle introduced himself. "These are Marshals Levin, Howard, and Jimenez. They've been assigned to protect us until Mr. Davidson is captured."

Kate walked up to the nurses' station and asked to speak to Dr. Barkley. "We'll have him paged for you," the nurse told her.

Kate was pacing when Castle joined her. "Any word?"

"They've paged the doctor. Castle, why didn't my father have a detail? We have marshals crawling out of our ass and they couldn't assign one marshal to him?"

"I don't know, Kate. This whole thing has been one colossal cluster-fuck after another. I shouldn't have taunted him last night. I should've hung up on the motherfucker."

"He would've just called back. He would've just kept calling until he'd said everything he needed to say. I told him so much about me when we were going out and he has taken every last thing that I ever told him and used it to hurt me."

"Did he say things about your father when he held you?"

"He said that if my father had truly cared about me, he would've taken care of me when my mom was murdered. He said that he wouldn't have crawled into a bottle. He said that he shouldn't have made me take care of him. What was I supposed to do, Castle? He's my father. I didn't like what he was doing. I didn't like how he was shutting me out, but he's my father. I lost my mother, but he lost his soul mate." She smiled softly as tears filled her eyes. "He was so crazy about her, Castle. I remember seeing him kissing her and as a teenager, it was so . . . gross," Castle smiled, "but I realize now that he just loved her so much."

"I know you told me that he took her death hard," he remembered when she'd first told her about her mother's murder.

"He didn't cry, at first. I think that I cried enough for the both of us. I remember that night; he laid beside me on my bed and just held me while I cried for hours. It wasn't until the morning of the funeral that he finally broke down. I was getting dressed in my room and I heard the . . . oh Castle, it was the most awful sound I've ever heard in my life. I've heard it so many times since when I've made notifications. But that morning was the first time I ever heard it. He was almost howling from the pain of losing her."

Castle's own eyes filled with tears as she recounted the worst days of her life. "I don't ever want to imagine that kind of pain."

"When he took me to Coney Island later that afternoon that was the last day that I saw him sober for the next five and a half years. When he came to me to ask for forgiveness after he came out of rehab, he told me that he just wanted to forget. He said that the booze drowned the pain out, at least for a little while. That was all he wanted was to forget. It took me a little while to accept his apology. I went to Al-Anon and there I learned that the only way that I could truly honor my mom's memory besides by finding out the truth was to forgive my dad. The pain is there, it's always going to be there, but he's the only father that I have."

"Ms. Beckett," she turned to find a man in a white doctor's coat striding toward her. "Your father is stable right now. The gunshot to his shoulder went straight through, but the one to his chest is still in there. We need to take him to surgery to remove it." 

"Can I see him?"

"Of course, but just for a moment. We're going to take him upstairs soon."

"I'll call my mother, and then the boys and Capt. Gates. Go see him," Castle urged her.

He was so pale, with monitors everywhere and IV's in both hands. "Daddy?" She whispered as she approached the gurney.

"Katie Bug," he whispered. "Have I told you how much you look like your mother right now?"

"I think they need to cut off your drugs," she tried to joke, but her breath hitched in her chest. "I'm so sorry."

"It happened so fast," he gasped.

"I know. I still don't remember anything from mine except for Castle tackling me like a linebacker."

"I could've used him tackling me like a linebacker today. Where is that writer when you need him?"

"Ms. Beckett, we need to get him upstairs."

"Okay. Daddy, I'll see you soon. I love you," she kissed him on the forehead.

Castle was just getting off of the phone when Kate came out of the room after seeing her father. She walked straight into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. She jumped when her cell phone rang. She pulled it out and looked at it before glancing at Castle and showing him the phone. The number was unfamiliar, which meant one thing. "Marshal Levin!" Castle called out, motioning to Kate's ringing cell phone.

"Put it on speaker," he instructed her.

"Hello?"

"So, how's your father, Kate? Is he still alive or have I truly made you an orphan?"

"Listen, you miserable excuse for a human being—"

"Temper temper, _Katie_," he hissed over the speaker. "I told you that you're not going to know where I am or where I'm going to strike next. I see that Alexis' little boy-toy left the loft this morning. How much more pain can I inflict on the little daddy's girl?"

Castle pulled Marshal Howard to one side. "You need to get a detail on Brian Abernathy and his family or they're going to be next!"

"Mr. Castle, we don't have the resources to just put men on everybody that you and Det. Beckett know."

"Really? Is that why her father took two slugs to his chest this morning? Cause you can't be bothered to protect our family? He's watching us! He was watching Kate at the precinct yesterday and now he's watching our home! He's waiting for the perfect moment to strike!"

"Is that Castle ranting and raving in the background, Kate? Take me off of speaker. _Now_!"

Kate turned off the speaker and put the phone to her ear. "Josh, what do you want?"

"I told you, Kate. I want to see my kid."

"What happens when you see her?" She asked as Castle walked over, shaking his head furiously at her.

"I'll make you watch while I make you hurt like you watched your father hurt that night when that detective told him that his beloved wife was dead. If I'm miserable, Kate, then you're going to be miserable, too. You know, I should invite Castle to the party, too. Make him watch while I snap his baby's neck like a chicken."

Kate hit the 'end' button on the phone as she began to shake. "Kate?" Castle looked at her as the phone began to ring again.

"No," she shook her head. "I can't."

"Det. Beckett, if you don't answer it, it'll just keep ringing," Marshal Levin warned her.

She took a deep breath before hitting the 'answer' button. "Kate, if you hang up on me again, I'll head to Castle's loft right now and kill all three of them. First Castle's mother, then the little redhead, and finally little Ariel, who's smile is just like yours. And I won't kill them quick. I'll draw it out and make them suffer."

"Josh, I'll do anything that you want. Just please, please don't hurt them," tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Oh, I love it when you beg. Does Castle make you beg? Probably not. I know that you're at the hospital with your father. For now, that's as much as I want you to suffer. But, don't worry. I have more in store. Much more. Tell your little detail that three marshals won't be nearly enough by the time I'm done."

With that the call ended. "He's watching us. He knows that we have three marshals here with us. Castle, he's getting sicker and more twisted. He's . . . he's threatening to kill Martha, Alexis and our baby!"

When Ryan, Esposito and Capt. Gates walked into the hospital, they heard screams of rage. They saw Beckett, who along with two of the marshals, was trying to contain Castle, who was pounding both fists into the hard hospital wall. The two detectives ran over to assist the marshals and Kate. The walls as well as Castle's hands were covered in blood. "What in the hell is going on?" Ryan asked when they finally managed to pull Castle off of the wall.

"Rick, Rick, it's okay," Kate tried to calm him down. This was worse than the night with Douglas Stevens, worse than the night they'd found the bloodied van. She'd never seen him as enraged as he was right now. He slid down the wall, with his bloodied hands over his face. "Josh . . . shot my father this morning. He's in surgery right now, but he's stable. But, he . . . here, just listen. I recorded it," she held her phone out to the boys.

The marshals, the boys, Gates, and Det. Connelly all listened to the threats that Josh had made toward the other three women in their lives, but especially to Ariel. "Beckett, you need to take him to get those hands looked at," Gates told her.

"Where is he watching them from?" Ryan wondered after they listened to the recording.

"Probably from somewhere near the loft. If he saw Alexis' boyfriend leave, then he probably waited until Castle and Beckett left for the hospital."

"You know, it takes a special kind of crazy to threaten a tiny baby," Espo said.

"His target isn't Ariel. He knows that hurting her is the quickest way to destroy Castle and Beckett," Gates took out her phone and called the Chief of D's. "We need a team to do a 16-block sweep around Castle and Beckett's residence. We think that Josh Davidson is hiding somewhere in that area. Because he just shot Det. Beckett's father and is threatening the rest of her family! She's one of my family and I want her family kept safe!"

Castle was sitting on the edge of a gurney while a physician's assistant tended to his badly mangled hands. His face was hard and angry, harder and angrier than he'd looked that night after coming out of Douglas Stevens' room. "Can you move your fingers?" The P.A. asked as Castle followed her orders. "Well, you're mangled, but nothing appears to be broken. Walls don't fight back, Mr. Castle."

"I wasn't hitting a wall," he said in a monotone.

"I'll bandage you up and give you a prescription for Vicodin because they're going to be hurting soon."

"Thank you," Kate told her as she began bandaging Castle's hands. "Do you feel better?"

"Not really. Was it ugly when you broke up with him?" He looked at her. "Did he display the kind of rage that he's showing now?"

"No. He thought that I was breaking up with him to go to you, which at the time wasn't even remotely true. I think he had a lot of time to stew about it."

"Gee, ya think?" He winced as the P.A. finished bandaging his hands.

"I'm going to go upstairs to OR to wait for my father to come out of surgery. I'm also going to call Martha and let her know what's going on."

"Kate!" He called out to her as she turned around. "Tell them not to leave the loft, detail or no detail."

"I will. I'll see you upstairs."

"Is he okay?" Capt. Gates asked when Kate came out of the room.

"Yeah, he's just cut and bruised up. Nothing's broken."

"It was a stupid thing to do, but I can't say that I blame him for wanting to hit something."

"Me either, sir. I'm going to go upstairs and wait for my father to come out of surgery."

"You two," Gates looked at the boys. "Hit the gun stores and pawn shops. We need to find out where Davidson got that gun. Also, check to see if he had a gun registered to him."

"Yes, sir," they said in unison.

***CCC***

At the loft, Martha and Alexis were trying to keep things calm for Ariel, but the baby was her mother's daughter. She knew something was wrong, so she was cranky and weepy. Martha jumped when her cell phone rang. "Katherine, is your father okay?" She asked.

"He's still in surgery. Listen, you and Alexis stay in the loft. Don't go anywhere, even with your detail. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, of course. What about Brian?"

"Shit, Brian. Martha, let me talk to Alexis." Kate waited while Martha handed her phone to her granddaughter. "Alexis, listen to me carefully. Call or text Brian. Tell him to stay away from the loft until Castle and I get back from the hospital."

"Kate—"

"Alexis, please don't argue with me about this. It's not safe for him to come to the loft right now. Josh is somewhere out there, and he's watching every move all of us make. He's armed and dangerous now. I don't want anybody else hurt! If you love me at all, you'll do as I ask."

"Okay, Kate. I'll tell him," Alexis looked at her grandmother.

"Thank you. I'll call you as soon as I hear more about my dad. Give Ari a hug and a kiss for me. Tell her . . . tell her that I miss her. Tell her that I love her. I love you guys, too," Kate said as her voice cracked.

"We love you too, Kate."

Kate ended the call and sat back in the hard chair in the waiting area. She twisted the watch on her arm, her mind going over so many things. She remembered the day she'd finally convinced her dad that he needed to go to rehab. She'd been 24 years old and had been tired of him constantly embarrassing her with his drunken behavior. She'd been with her mentor, Mike Royce, at the time. Royce had met her father; he'd seen what Kate dealt with in her personal life.

"_Kate, I understand that he lost his wife. Believe me, I get that. But, what about you?"_

"_What about me?"_

"_Kate, you lost your mom that night. What happens when you need someone to hold you? When you need a shoulder to cry on? Does he give that to you? Does he take the time to remember that you're still his little girl? He needs to get help."_

She hadn't told Mike that by that time she felt like she no longer needed anybody to take care of her. She'd learned to shove all of the pain from that night so deep down inside that it had no way to get out. She got drunk on occasion, and she had casual relationships, but she never let anyone get close. She never let anyone know how badly she hurt inside.

Not until Castle. As he'd told her when he'd initially proposed to her, she didn't let people in. He'd had to scratch and claw for every inch. And it had been a three steps forward; two steps back relationship for as long as she could remember. But they were better together than they were apart which was another reason why it worked. Castle was a talker while she was quiet and a thinker, as he liked to put it. Castle loved everybody while Kate was more cautious about letting people in.

She looked up when she saw Castle walk into the waiting room, his hands bandaged much like a boxer's. "Any word yet," he sat next to her.

"No. A nurse came out about 20 minutes ago and said that the doctor will be out in another half hour or so. She said dad's doing well."

"That's good."

"He wanted to know where you were to tackle him when he needed it."

"If I'd been there, I would've gladly tackled him," he forced a smile.

"I know," she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I don't want you meeting with him, Kate."

"Castle, if I can have people—"

"No. He's smart, Kate. He's going to know that you're not going to meet him without some kind of a plan in motion. You might think that you can trap him, but I can almost guarantee that he's also got a plan."

"I keep wondering what in the hell I saw in him. I wonder if he was this crazy then and he was just hiding it from me."

"It's possible. He's also smart enough to pass the psych eval before he was sent to Sing-Sing."

"Ms. Beckett?" Kate looked up when a doctor dressed in surgical scrubs entered the waiting room. "Your father is out of surgery and in recovery right now. He's a very lucky man. The bullet deflected off a couple of ribs and got lodged in one of his lungs. But he should make a full recovery. We'll be moving him to ICU as soon as he comes out of recovery. You can see him then."

"Thank you," Kate gave a huge sigh of relief.

It was a little over an hour later before Kate was finally allowed to see her father. There were monitors beeping, but she was once again told that he was going to be okay. "He probably won't really wake up until tomorrow," one of the nurses told her. "So, visit him for a few minutes and then go home and get some rest. We'll call you if there's any change in his condition."

Kate walked over to his bed and sat down, taking her father's cold hand in her own. "I can't stay long, dad. I'll be back first thing in the morning. But you're going to be okay. I love you," she kissed his hand before putting it back on the bed.

When they walked from the parking garage to the elevator leading up to the loft, Kate and Castle were constantly looking over their shoulders as their detail from the Marshals' Service did the same thing. Castle entered the code to enter the elevator before taking Kate's hand and leading her inside. "We'll meet you inside," Marshal Levin told them.

"I'm starving," Castle told his wife. "Do you think that you can whip up some of that pasta carbonara that we all love so much?"

"I think that can be arranged," she leaned into him as the elevator made its ascent.

"You know what? Scrap that. You're tired. I'll throw something together. Or I can order in."

"Chinese sounds good," Kate sighed. "Sweet and Sour Chicken from Fung's."

"You've got it. Why don't you go inside and take a hot bath while I order dinner?"

"Okay," she agreed. "But there's something else I want to do first. And it involves you, Alexis, and Martha."

When they entered the apartment, Alexis and Martha were playing gin rummy with their two marshals. "Katherine, is Jim okay?" Martha jumped up and rushed over to embrace Kate. "Richard, what happened to your hands?"

"I got attacked by a wall," he deadpanned. "Where's Ariel?"

"She's taking a nap. We haven't had a great day," Alexis said.

Kate rushed up the stairs and came down moments later with the still half-asleep baby, who was rubbing her eyes. "I need cuddle time," she announced. "I need for _all _of us to have cuddle time. Come on."

'Cuddle time' was something Rick and Kate had done many times since getting together. They'd cuddled often after her miscarriage before Ari's birth; they'd spent hours cuddling after she'd been rescued from Josh and after learning that she was pregnant. They'd spent hours cuddling with Alexis while watching movies. Before Rick, Kate had hated cuddling. But she figured it was because she'd never been with anyone that she wanted to cuddle with.

The four of them sat close together on the sofa while Kate placed Ari between her and Rick. "My dad's going to be okay, but this isn't going to get any easier. Josh has made some threats. Serious threats. He has a gun now, which just made him much more deadly. All of us need to be careful."

"Kate, how can he hide in plain sight like he is?" Alexis asked.

"I don't know. My guess is he's probably changed his appearance somehow. He could be getting help. We just don't know. Right now, he's like a ghost. He's not leaving a paper trail, which means he has access to cash."

"Richard, are you going to tell us what happened to your hands?"

"It's called frustration, mother. I'm going to order from Fung's. I hope everybody's hungry."

After dinner, Castle retired to his office to write while Kate took the baby into their ensuite bathroom to give her a bath in the huge bathtub. He was typing away with his injured fingers when he stopped to listen. Kate was singing to Ariel. He grabbed the camcorder before making his way to the bathroom. He stopped in the doorway and aimed the viewfinder at his wife who was sitting on the floor beside the tub while Ariel giggled and slapped at the water with her hands. He loved listening to Kate sing.

'_She was afraid to come out of the water_

_And she wonders what she's going to do_

_Yes, she's afraid to come out of the water_

_So the poor little girl is turning blue_

_One, two, three, four_

_Tell the people what she wore_

_It was an itsy bitsy teenie weenie_

_Yellow polka dot bikini_

_That she wore for the first time today_

_An itsy, bitsy teenie weenie_

_Yellow polka dot bikini_

_So in the water she's going to stay_

"Cute," Kate turned to find Castle filming her. "An oldie, but a goodie."

"Castle, turn off the camera!"

"Off!" Ari added her voice to the mix.

"She likes it when you sing to her. So do I," he came in and put the camera on the vanity before taking a seat beside his wife.

"I'll sing to you later," she leaned forward and kissed him.

"Stop!" Ari hit the water, sending a spray of water up in the air.

"So, is she clean?" Castle splashed Ari with water as she giggled in delight.

"She's clean, hell, the whole bathroom is clean. I think there's more water on the floor than there is in the tub. Why did you take the bandages off of your hands?" She noticed the raw, angry cuts and scratches on his hands.

"It was easier to write without them."

"Come on, chunky monkey, time to get out," Kate stood and lifted Ari from the tub as Castle wrapped a towel around her naked body.

"I'll take her upstairs and get her ready for bed," he looked at Kate.

"Okay, I'll be up in a few minutes."

Castle carried Ariel up to her room and placed her in the middle of the double bed that was in the room for them to sleep on when she was sick. It was the bed that Martha had been sleeping in since this nightmare with Josh had started. Castle grabbed a diaper, baby lotion, and a nightgown before coming back over to the bed. He briskly rubbed her body with the towel before slathering her with the lotion. "Kiss, daddy!" She puckered her lips as he bent down and gave her a peck. He then put a diaper on her before sitting down, placing her on his lap and pulling the gown over her head.

He turned her so that she was facing him and rubbed her nose against his, which always caused her to giggle in delight. When she smiled, she looked exactly like Kate. "I love you so much, baby girl," his eyes misted as he watched her.

He couldn't understand how Josh could take his hatred for him out on this defenseless baby. It was hard to believe that this was a man who at one time had taken an oath to heal, not to hurt. "Mama!" Ariel called out when Kate walked into the room.

"Oh, you smell so good," Kate took her from Castle and breathed in the scent of baby lotion. "Daddy always makes you smell so good after you take a bath."

"Daddy!"

"Would mommy like for daddy to make her smell good after a bath, too?" Castle's whispered words in her ear made her blood heat up.

"What does daddy think?" She smiled at him. "Come on, it's rock-rock time, chunky monkey," she got up off of the bed and walked over to the rocking chair in the corner.

"No rock-rock," Ari protested, trying to wriggle from her mother's grasp.

But the second Kate settled in the chair, Ari popped her thumb in her mouth and was asleep within minutes. "You do realize that we're going to have to break her of the thumb sucking," Castle told her after she'd put Ariel in her crib and covered her. "The dentist is going to have a fit."

"I know. I just don't have the heart to do it right now."

"Come on, it's me for me to take care of mommy," he took her hand and led her downstairs to their bedroom. "I'm going to go and run you a bath."

"Okay. I'm going to call and check on my dad real quick."

He gave her a quick kiss before disappearing into the bathroom. He turned on the taps and poured a liberal amount of Kate's favorite bubble bath under it. He then lit some tea candles. He smiled when she walked into the bathroom. "So, how's your dad?"

"He's still out of it. The nurse that I spoke to said he should be more alert in the morning. Castle, this is really nice."

"Well, I've been known to be a really nice guy," he wrapped his arms around her.

"Yes, you are," she kissed him. "Join me." When he hesitated, she pressed her hands to his chest. "Please, Castle?"

"I want to take care of you."

"Oh, believe me; you are taking care of me. But, this day has been rough on you, too. I want to take care of you, also."

"Okay, you sold me."

They sat facing each other in the bubbles, Castle hissing when his injured hands went into the water. He pulled her feet into his lap and began massaging them, causing a moan to escape from Kate's throat. His wonderful, magical fingers then moved up to her calves. "Oh, Castle," she leaned against the back of the tub, "your hands are truly magical."

She was surprised when he moved closer to her, wrapping his legs and arms around her waist. "Just think what these hands could do if they were 100 percent."

"Oh, I've felt what those hands can do when they're 100 percent," she clasped her hands behind him, moving even closer to him. "Do they hurt?"

"A little."

She put her head on his chest and felt his injured hands tighten around her. He was the sweetest, funniest, most romantic man she'd ever known and it hurt when she saw how hurt he was by what was going on. She rued the day she'd ever met Dr. Josh Davidson. After they sat in the tub for a long time just as they currently were, Rick stood up and helped her from the tub.

After drying her all over, he took her favorite bottle of body lotion and poured some in his hands before rubbing it all over her body. The scent enveloped both of them. "Thank you, Rick," she kissed him after he'd put the bottle back on the vanity.

"No. Thank you," he kissed her back.

"For what?"

"For loving me. Sometimes I think that I don't deserve you."

"Cas—Rick, no. Why would you think that you don't deserve me?"

"Kate, he was a doctor."

"Yeah, and I didn't _love_ him. I _love_ you. You made me a mom. You've given me a family. Rick, let me love you tonight. Please?"

"Why don't we go in there and love each other?" He took both of her hands in his.

"Okay," she gave him that wide smile that he loved so much.

He picked her up in his arms and she clasped her legs around his waist as he walked them out of the bathroom and over to their bed, where he deposited her against his pillows before crawling up on the bed over her, settling himself between her legs, covering her mouth for a long kiss, his tongue tracing her bottom lip before gaining entrance. Kate's tongue danced against his and she couldn't stop the soft whimpers and moans that left her mouth. Her nails lightly scratched his back as she held him tighter against her.

She let out a whine of disappointment when he left her mouth and trailed kisses down her neck and collarbone. "Castle," she breathed out his name at the feeling of his wet, hot mouth searing her skin. She felt him moving down her naked flesh to the dimpled scar between her breasts, worshipping the marred skin with his fingers and lips. His fingers caressed her breasts as her nipples hardened under his touch.

She carded her fingers in his hair when he replaced his fingers on her breasts with his lips, tongue, and teeth. She felt so wet and wanton as he continued teasing her breasts, tugging first one nipple, and then the other in his teeth, causing her to arch against him and grab him tighter to her. He moved up and once again kissed her, his tongue caressing the inside of her mouth. They moaned into each other's mouths as the kiss went on and on.

He pulled away and gave her a huge smile before moving back down her body. Kate gasped when she felt him tracing the longer scar on her side with his fingers before replacing his long fingers with his lips, kissing every inch of the long scar before moving even further down. He touched her very wet folds with his fingertips before setting his mouth over her.

Kate loved having Rick's mouth on her. She'd never been with any man who could make her come as hard as he could just by using his mouth. "Fuck, Castle," she put her hands on her breasts and arched against him as he used his lips, tongue, and teeth on her. "So close. Harder. Please. I'm so damn close!"

Then she was falling spectacularly as the pleasure became almost too much to bear. She was still seeing stars when she felt Rick moving back up, once again covering her mouth with his own. She could taste herself on him, but she could also feel him, hard and throbbing against her hip. She reached down and wrapped her hand around his engorged length, swallowing his groan in her mouth.

She pushed him over onto his back, never breaking contact with his mouth. When she finally did pull away from him, he smiled at the smile that was on her face. The smile that she reserved for him only. If that smile was the last thing he ever saw, he'd die a happy man. That smile was the equivalent of sunshine and oxygen for him.

Still smiling and with her hand still wrapped around him, she slid down his body, peppering his entire body with kisses along the way. She finally reached her destination, brushing her tongue lightly on his tip before opening her mouth and taking him in, humming along his length as he groaned under her. The vibrations caused by her humming made his already rock hard cock get even harder. "Kate," he whined out her name as she moved up and down on him even faster, her hands cupping and gently squeezing his balls. "Kate, please."

"Please what, Rick?" She asked, releasing him from her mouth with an obscene sounding 'pop.'

"I want to be inside of you. I want to come inside of you," he reached for her.

"Do you now?" She teased, once again wrapping her hand around him and moving it up and down slowly. He nodded fervently, reaching for her. Giving him that same smile, she moved up and swung her leg over his hips before reaching down and placing him at her entrance. She bit her lip and let out a loud groan at the feel of him filling her.

She gently rocked against him, crying out at the feel of his pelvic bone rubbing against her swollen clit. She could feel the tension coiling deep in her belly as she began to move faster on him. Both of their breathing had reduced to harsh gasps as they moved toward mind-blowing ecstasy.

Kate threw her head back and opened her mouth on a silent scream as Castle felt her tighten around him hard. He shouted out her name and spilled himself inside of her before she collapsed against his chest. She planted kisses along his chest, moving up to his collarbone and neck before claiming his mouth with her own. Castle rolled her so that she was lying at his side, sighing in satisfaction when he felt her slip her legs in between his, her favorite way to sleep at his side.

As they fell asleep in each other's arms, they had no idea that the U.S. Marshals were concocting a plan that would ensnare Josh Davidson once and for all. A plan that would almost end up in disaster.

**A/N #3: This chapter kind of got away from me. Please read and review. 6 more days!**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**

**I can also be found on Facebook. My user name is RkieFan1960. Or you be find me by using my name which is Cindy Wylie.**


	5. Chapter 5--Plans in Motion

**Disclaimers: Not in a million years.**

**Summary: The Marshals begin to concoct a plan which in hindsight proves what Castle and Beckett have always said; the feds aren't exactly the sharpest knives in the drawer.**

Chapter 5: Plans in Motion

_August 17__th_

Marshal Griebs called a meeting with the marshals that were protecting Castle and his family. The meeting took place in a mobile command center near the apartment building. "Davidson has been hiding in plain sight for almost a week now. We need to bring this cockroach out of his hiding place."

"She tried to set up a meeting with him yesterday after her father's shooting, but Castle shot it down. I don't blame the guy for not wanting his old lady to meet with the guy who'd kidnapped her."

"We need to pull the detail off. That's the only way he's going to come out of hiding."

"Do you know what'll happen if we pull the detail off and Davidson does something? Do the words 'ATF' and 'Branch Davidian' mean anything to you?" Marshal Levin asked him.

"Ruby Ridge," another agent threw in.

"We'll keep the command center near enough where marshals can get to them if it comes to that. But Davidson is making a laughing stock out of all of us. We need to take him down."

A couple of the marshals thought that Griebs idea had 'very bad idea' written all over it, but he was their boss, and it wasn't their place to argue with him.

***CCC***

"I was dreaming about your mom," were the first words that came out of Jim Beckett's mouth when Kate came in to visit him the following morning. "She looked so happy, Katie. So beautiful."

"Did she tell you the same thing that she told me? That it wasn't my time and to get off of my ass and start living?"

"Something like that. Have they found him? Have they found Josh?"

"No, not yet. How do you feel?"

"Awful. I feel like my chest has been pried apart with a crowbar," he grimaced.

"Yeah, that's from the rib spreader. Did he say anything before he shot you?"

"Just my name. When I turned around, he had a gun pointed at me. That's the last thing that I remember until they were putting me in the ambulance. What did he do to Alexis? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's more banged up and scared than anything else. It would've been worse, but two tourists heard her screaming for help and they scared him off."

"It's a good thing that it was tourists and not residents. Nobody in this city ever hears or sees anything."

"I know. I'm a cop, remember?"

"How's Rick taking all of this?"

"Hard. He beat up a wall yesterday."

"I've done that before, remember?"

"I do," she smoothed her hands over the sheets on the bed.

"You have always been so strong. Even when you were a little girl you didn't want anybody to do anything for you. Every time I'd try to teach you to do something, you'd always tell me, 'I can do it, dad.' Its okay to need a shoulder to lean on, Katie. Let Rick take care of you if that's what he needs to do."

"I will. You need to get some rest. I'll come back to visit you later."

"Hey, do you think you can smuggle in some of that marble cheesecake?"

"Dad," she gave him a stern look.

"Hey, you begged me to bring you food after you got shot. The least you can do is return the favor."

"I'll see what I can do," she leaned down and kissed his cheek. "I'll take video of Ari and play it for you when I come back."

"Any new words?"

"No, but she's starting to put words together. I sang her the polka-dot bikini song last night. Do you remember when you used to sing that to me?"

"Yes," he smiled.

"I love you. Get some rest."

"How is he?" Rick asked when she came out of his room.

"Sore, but he'll be okay. He wants me to bring him marble cheesecake. Did I ever tell you about the night he brought me spaghetti?"

"From Luigi's?"

"Where else? I was so tired of jell-o and mystery meat. I wanted real food so badly. But I was in so much pain that I could only eat like three bites. But those were the best three bites of spaghetti I've ever eaten in my life. I never realized that food could be so . . . _orgasmic_."

"That's because you've never seen what I can do with vanilla ice cream."

"Really, Castle?"

"Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it. While you were visiting your dad, Paula called. I have a meeting at Black Pawn tomorrow to discuss my next book tour. I tried to beg out of it, but she pulled the old, time-honored 'breach of contract' threat." 

"What time is your meeting?"

"Three o'clock. I should be done by five or so."

"Well, I'm going to go to the precinct and help the boys, but I'll try to be home by early afternoon. Ari's been so stressed out that it's better that I stay with her, and Alexis. Martha has a class at her acting school. I'm not sure if Brian's coming back tomorrow or not. I know he's leaving for his trip to DC, but I'm not sure if he's leaving tomorrow or the day after."

"I think Alexis said he was leaving in the morning."

"It's too bad that Josh is on the loose because she really wanted to go with him. I think he had the whole romantic weekend thing planned."

"Hey, no details! No father wants to hear about his daughter doing _that_."

"How do you fathers think that your daughters have babies if we don't do _that_?" She teased. He was so cute when they discussed more adult aspects of Alexis' life.

"Cabbage patch," he looked at her as she burst out laughing. "The stork. Or, I don't know. The babies just appear on your doorstep."

"Castle, you were in the room when Ari made her debut. Believe me; she wasn't left on any doorstep."

***CCC***

He stood at the window and carefully watched the building across the street. He'd been in place for five days now and hadn't been found, yet. The police had even swept the entire area the day before and hadn't found him. He'd watched Kate and Castle leave the building with their shadows in tow, probably heading for the hospital to visit her dad. He knew that the old lady and the little firecracker were still in the apartment with the baby. They weren't his target, although they were good for sending messages to Kate.

When he closed his eyes, he could still remember how she felt under his fingers. How she smelled and tasted when he made love to her. He could still hear the sharp cries that tumbled from her lips when she came whether under his mouth or under his driving cock. But now the fucking writer was the one touching, smelling, tasting, and listening to her cries of passion.

He was going to make her pay for leaving him and he was going to make the writer watch while he enacted that revenge. Maybe he'd stab her like her mother had been stabbed. Or he could strangle her while she fought underneath his hands. He just needed to wait for the right time. Their shadows would screw up sooner or later.

In the apartment across the street, Alexis was talking to Brian. "I changed my flight to tomorrow night. Is there any way that I can see you for a few hours before I leave?"

"If you don't mind shadows, maybe we could grab some dinner," Alexis suggested.

"I don't mind shadows as long as they're not sitting at our table and I do not have to also buy their dinner. I mean, I'm not a high powered attorney yet."

"Okay. So, is five okay?"

"Five is great. My flight doesn't leave until eight. So after we have dinner I can drop you off, _walk _you to your front door and then head to the airport. I'll see you then. Oh, and Alexis? I love you."

"I love you, too," she smiled as she ended the call.

"So, are you two picking out china patterns yet?" Martha asked as Alexis blushed.

"No, gram."

"He's a very nice young man. I like him very much."

"So do I. Do you think dad and Kate like him?"

"Kiddo, if your dad didn't like him, you'd know it by now. The same goes for Katherine. If she didn't like him she would've had Detectives Ryan and Esposito grill him."

"No, she'd grill him herself."

That night Castle, Kate, and Alexis played with Ari, who was running from one person to the other as they tried to grab her. Kate thought she'd never tire of hearing her daughter's laughter. She grabbed her and hugged her close, swinging her back and forth in her arms as Ari laughed joyfully. "Who's mommy's baby girl?" Kate asked her.

"Me!" Ari hit her chest as Kate laughed.

"Who's daddy's baby girl?" Castle asked her.

"Me!" Ari answered again.

"Uh-uh. Mommy is," Castle slipped his arm around Kate, kissing her as Ari furrowed her brow.

"Me, daddy," she reached for her father.

Alexis laughed, but she wondered how different it felt for her father this time around. He'd raised her alone from the time she was just a few months old. While her parents hadn't officially divorced until after her second birthday, her mother was never around.

This time he had Kate to share the parenting duties with him, and she'd proven to be just as hands on as he'd been with her when she was small. At times Alexis felt twinges of jealousy toward her little sister who was so fiercely loved by both parents. Her reverie was broken by the ringing of the telephone.

"Do you want to flip a coin?" Castle asked Kate.

"Alexis, can you take Ari up to her room?" Kate got up and walked over to the phone, watching while Alexis scooped her little sister up and went upstairs with her. She then walked over to the phone and took a deep breath before she picked it up, watching as the tracer device kicked on. "Hello?"

"So, anyway Kate, I've been sitting here mulling over all of the different ways there are to kill someone. You're a homicide cop; I'm sure you've seen all of them."

"Josh, nobody has to die," Kate told him. "We can talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about, Kate. I might not be a multi-millionaire, but I loved you. I could've given you anything that you wanted. If I'd known that you wanted a kid, we could've had one. We just never talked about it. I could never compete with him, could I?"

Kate knew that it was almost over. He was no longer taunting her. Now he just sounded . . . defeated. Her gut was telling her that this wasn't going to end well. It was going to end with somebody dead. She'd seen too many similar situations during her years as a cop. "Josh, there's a command center van parked up the street from the loft," she said as Castle stared at her. "Please turn yourself in to them."

"I can't do that, Kate. Let's just say that I'm writing an ending to this that your writer will never see coming in a million years. He can't even write something this good. I'll talk to you soon, Kate. Let me give you a word of advice. Hug and kiss all of them, because you don't know where I'm going to be."

"End game," Kate said as she hung up the phone.

"What does that mean?"

"He's planning on going out in a blaze of glory and he's planning on taking one or all of us down with him. He's too calm."

Kate called Marshal Griebs and they all sat around the dining room table listening to the tape over and over, trying to pick up any sounds of where Josh might be hiding. But all they could hear was traffic noises, which could be heard on any street in New York City at any time of the day.

After Griebs and his team left, Castle locked the apartment up tight before going upstairs to check on his girls. Alexis was reading in her room. "Hey, pumpkin. I thought I'd check on you and say goodnight before I go to bed."

"'Night, dad," she smiled as he walked over and kissed her on the forehead. "How are your hands?" She noticed that they were swollen from the day before.

"They hurt, but I'll be okay."

"Dad, what did you do?"

"I just got frustrated. I was upset about Jim and it all just piled up. Sleep tight."

"Thanks, dad."

Kate was surprised when she came out of the bathroom after taking a shower and Castle wasn't in bed. He also wasn't in his office, so she went upstairs. She found him in Ari's room, just sitting in the rocker, staring at the crib where their daughter was sleeping on her stomach, her butt in the air, and her thumb firmly wedged in her mouth, her brown curls framing her face. She noticed the look of sadness on Castle's face. "Hey, are you okay?" She settled on the floor at his feet.

"How do you play a game that you don't know the rules to?" He looked at her. "We've been through so much over the years. I've been scared more times than I can count. But most of those times I knew what I was up against. This time I don't. He wants to take my family away from me and it terrifies me. Kate, I can't even fathom a world without any of you in it."

"Castle, I think that's what he wants. He wants to destroy you in the worst way possible. If it came down to it, I think that Alexis and I could take him. But, Ari—" her voice choked up. "Castle, if he's not caught soon, Ari might be safer being with Ryan and Jenny or the captain. I'm not sure I can protect her, Castle."

"Kate, you'd be surprised what you're capable of when it comes to protecting your child. I've read about women who've lifted cars off of their kids. You would take a bullet for her because you love her that much. Never doubt that."

"I don't doubt that, Castle, but I'm terrified."

"So am I. When I rescued Alexis, we had to run through a house with men shooting at us. But I got her out of there without a scratch. I know you, Kate. You'd never let anyone hurt her. You'd never let anyone hurt any of us."

"You told me last night that you feel like you don't deserve me. I'm the one who doesn't deserve you," she sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. "Every time I doubt my abilities as a mom, you're right there to remind me that I can do it. I love you, Castle."

He lay awake later long after Kate had gone to sleep, her leg braided in between his and her arm resting across his stomach. He wondered if a whole team of marshals would be enough to stop a man who was hell-bent on destroying his family. His hands throbbed as he remembered how frustrated he'd felt the day before. It was at times like this when he wished he'd installed that panic room he'd talked about a few years before.

As if sensing that her husband was still awake, Kate lightly stroked his chest. "Sleep, Castle," she mumbled sleepily.

He clasped her hand in his as she fell asleep once again. He wondered how he was going to keep his family safe. He decided that he'd die before Josh Davidson got near his girls. He quietly slipped out of bed before grabbing his cell phone and going into the living room.

He thought back to the men who'd protected his family when Bracken had come after Kate before they'd gotten married. One of them had given Castle his number, while both men had hoped that he'd never have to use it. But he'd come to the conclusion that the marshals were idiots. It was obvious that Josh was hiding out nearby and these guys couldn't catch him.

He scrolled through his contacts and hit the number. "This is Rick Castle. I need help. Can we meet tomorrow morning? Eight o'clock. Yeah, I'll be there."

**A/N #1: So on the advice of some of my reviewers, I've decided that Castle needs to hire his own team. And what better team that the guys that protected them in 'That is True Love?'**

**Please read and review. I can be found on Twitter Castkett1960.**


	6. Chapter 6--Showdown

**Disclaimers: No, I just wish that I did.**

**Summary: Things come to a conclusion as Kate is forced into a showdown with Josh.**

**A/N #1: This isn't the final chapter of the story. There will be questions asked and answered in the next few chapters.**

**A/N #2: I thought of several different scenarios for the final confrontation between Kate and Josh. Thank you my unmuse, Chuck, for reminding me that Kate wouldn't just sit back and hide while this tool tried to hurt her family. Beckett is nothing if not bad-ass. But I have to also thank Shutterbug5269 for helping me when I got stuck.**

Chapter 6: Showdown

_August 18_

"So, who is this guy?" Martin asked Castle as the two men sat across a table at a coffeeshop near the loft.

"My wife went out with him for almost a year before the two of us got together. Right after our honeymoon, he kidnapped her and held her for six days. He escaped from prison six days ago and no one has been able to find him. He's been calling and making threats to hurt my two daughters."

"I heard about the prison escape, but I didn't know that he was connected to your wife. Why didn't you contact me when the threats started?"

"Because I thought that the marshals would do their job. That was stupid on my part. Can you put a team together?"

"Yeah, I can put a team together, but the thing is, Mr. Castle, if this thing goes south and we get caught in the middle—"

"I just need protection for my family. I don't expect you guys to take him out. I'll leave that to the marshals."

"I'll call you back in an hour," Martin got up and left the coffeeshop.

Castle let out his breath. He knew that Kate would probably kill him. But he was at the end of his rope. Kate had had nightmares all night, waking him up screaming a couple of times. He glanced at his watch. He knew that she was going to visit her father before going to the precinct to work with the boys for a little while. She'd promised him that she'd be home by early afternoon. He had a meeting at Black Pawn that afternoon. He didn't like being away from the loft, especially in the afternoons. That seemed to be the time when Josh called to voice his threats.

Before getting ready to leave the loft that morning, Kate had gone into the gun safe in Castle's office, removing her weapon and checking to make sure that it was fully loaded and in good firing condition. She then replaced it before closing and spinning the combination lock. "Do you really think it's going to come to that?" She looked up to find Alexis standing in the doorway with Ari in her arms.

"Alexis, I hope not, but we have to be ready just in case it does. Your father gave you the combination, right?"

"Yes, but Kate, I don't know if I could—"

"Alexis, listen to me," she walked over and put her hands on the young woman's shoulders. "I know that you don't want to have to ever shoot anybody, but sometimes you're forced to do things that you don't want to do. I want you to be able to protect yourself and Ari if your dad and I aren't here."

"Okay," Alexis reluctantly agreed. "But I thought that's why you made me start taking self-defense classes."

"It is. A gun is always a last resort. Come on, let's go make breakfast."

"Where's dad?" Alexis asked as she put Ariel in her high chair.

"I don't know. He was gone when I got up. Marshal Klein should be here any minute. As soon as he gets here, I'm going to take off to go visit my dad before going to the precinct for a few hours. I'll be home by one. Okay?"

"Okay," Alexis nodded.

"If you need me before then, call and I'll be right home."

"We'll be fine, Kate. Marshal Klein doesn't say much, but neither do you."

"Thanks, I think," Kate smiled, walking over and kissing the young woman on the forehead.

"Well, my dad and I talk enough for all three of us," Alexis smiled back.

"I used to think about shooting your dad just to shut him up."

"Gram told me once that when he was little, she accused him more than once of talking just to hear the sound of his voice."

"I think that he still does that," she agreed, looking up when the door opened and Castle walked in. "Speaking of the devil—"

"What did I do this time?" He walked over, smiling brightly as he kissed each of his girls in turn. "Were you about ready to go visit your father? The Town Car is waiting downstairs."

"Just let me grab my purse. Did you see Marshal Klein?"

"No, but the van is across the street. I swear, those dudes should just have a flashing neon sign saying 'U.S. MARSHALS' on top of their van. They couldn't possibly be _more _obvious."

Kate pulled out her phone. "This is Det. Beckett. Where's my daughter's detail, Griebs? No, not good enough! You're sitting across from my home in a van! If it comes down to it, who's going to get into our apartment faster, Josh, or your guys in the van? You know what? Castle could've already hired private security that would've kicked Josh's ass from here to the Canadian border. You guys are fucking worthless! Get her detail up here now!"

"About that private security," Castle looked at her as she gave him a disbelieving look. "I'll fill you in on the way to the hospital." 

"No, you'll fill us in now," Kate looked at Alexis.

"I called the guy who was head of the detail when Bracken was trying to kill you."

"The guys that we never learned just what _they _were? Those guys, Castle?"

"That would be the ones."

"Why in the hell didn't I think of that?" She was about to say something further when the doorbell rang. She opened it to find Marshal Klein standing there. "Nice of you to make it. Glad to know that my tax dollars are so hard at work. Come on, Castle. I have to stop and get my dad some doughnuts."

"Is he on a sugar kick?"

"No, he just hates hospital food."

***CCC***

"Katie, you are my _favorite _daughter," Jim Beckett sighed ecstatically as he savored a Boston crème doughnut.

"Dad, I'm your _only _daughter," she laughed as she took a bite of one of the doughnuts in the box. "I'm going to talk to them about lowering your morphine."

"So, how are you?"

"Hanging in there. I'm better now that I know you're going to be okay."

"Nobody ever said how hard it was to walk after being shot in the chest," he complained. "Now I understand how hard it was for you."

"The first time they make you walk is the worst. Believe me, it gets better."

"So, how is she really, Rick?"

"She's been better, but you know Kate. She never backs down."

"No, she doesn't. How are the girls?"

"Alexis is scared, but she's tough," Castle smiled. "Ariel's too little to understand what's going on."

Kate wasn't so sure that was true. She'd seen the subtle changes in her daughter in the days since Alexis was attacked. Usually happy to stay with her big sister or grandmother, she now cried when she and Rick had to leave her. It broke Kate's heart.

She looked at Rick when his cell phone rang. "I really need to take this," he said, stepping out of the room.

"He doesn't think that the marshals are doing their job. So, he hired some private security."

"Katie, they're going to get him soon and he's never going to hurt any of you ever again."

"I hope so," she smiled as she took her father's hand. "Then all I have left hanging over my head is Bracken's trial. Once that ends, maybe we can live like normal married people."

"Katie, something tells me that nothing between you and Rick is ever going to be normal," Jim smiled at her. "I mean, nothing's been normal up to this point. Why should anything change?"

"I guess you're right. So, you've had your cheesecake and your doughnuts. What's next on your list of food choices?"

"Hey, do you remember that chicken and rice casserole that your mom used to make?"

"I make that sometimes for Castle. He really loves it. So does Ari. She makes a mess of it."

"You can't go wrong with anything containing rice and cheese."

"I'll make some for you," she kissed his cheek. "I'll be back this evening."

"I love you, Bug."

"I love you, too. Get some rest. Don't give the nurses too hard of a time."

***CCC***

"So, did you hire some guys?" Kate asked as the Town Car drove toward the precinct.

"They're blending into the background around the loft. The marshals won't even know they're there. So, what're we taking your dad this evening?"

"He wants me to make a chicken and rice casserole."

"The one that I always pick the broccoli out of?" He looked at her as she nodded. "I love that stuff!"

"Except for the broccoli. Your year-old daughter eats broccoli, Castle. If she can eat it, why can't you?"

"Because it's green, Kate," he looked at her in horror while she rolled her eyes.

"You know, if you'd eat broccoli and help me with paperwork, you'd almost be the perfect man."

"Oh, yeah? Meet me in our bedroom tonight and I'll show you the perfect man," he kissed her as the car stopped in front of the precinct.

"Are you going back to the loft?" She asked him as he nodded. "Okay. I should be home by one or a little after. See you later."

"Be careful."

"You, too."

The boys were at their computers when Kate stepped off of the elevator. "We've checked every pawn shop in the city. Nada. He doesn't have a safe deposit box at any bank in the city. I don't know how this guy is operating, but I'm anxious to get him into the box and find out," Espo told her.

"Did you check banks in Jersey and Connecticut?"

"Kate, we're detectives. As you're always telling us, we're detecting," Ryan answered. "I've checked banks in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts. Pretty much the entire East Coast. Like Espo said, we've got nada."

"Did Griebs tell you about the latest call?"

"Yeah. He's definitely planning his end game," Espo agreed with her.

"One of the hardest things Rick's ever had to do in his life was taking his 21-year-old daughter into his office and giving her the combination to the gun safe. She's terrified that she's going to have to shoot him. That poor girl has been through enough."

"Yeah, but right now she has to develop that 'me or him' mentality. In the end, it might be the only thing that keeps her and your baby alive," Ryan pointed out.

"I've tried explaining that to her. It's different when you're not a cop. I don't want her to have to kill him, either, but I've also told her that she's going to do what she has to do."

"Yeah, but you also don't want her ending up on a future episode of 'I Survived,'" Espo clicked a few keys on his keyboard.

***CCC***

Pulling the ball cap low over his eyes, Josh made his way across the street to the loft. Walking around, he saw the scaffolding for the window washer. He glanced up to the corner window. He knew exactly where Castle's loft was, even though he'd never been there. He knew that right now the little redheaded firecracker was up there with her baby sister and a U.S. Marshal.

He'd been watching the marshals and knew how predictable they were. They had a little team strategy meeting every afternoon at four o'clock. He wasn't even sure at this point if they were strategizing. Maybe they were sitting around playing cards or watching porn on their computers. All he knew was between four and 4:30, the loft was unguarded.

With a plan in place, Josh walked back across the street to his hiding place.

Upstairs Marshal Klein watched Alexis, who was sitting on the sofa reading to Ariel. "Your father's a good guy to raise another guy's kid as his own."

"What're you talking about?" Alexis looked at the marshal.

"Well, Davidson keeps demanding to see his kid."

"He's also delusional. As for you, didn't they teach you math in school?" He looked puzzled. "Kate got pregnant with Ariel three months _after _she was rescued from Josh. He was in jail. Ariel is my father's daughter. God, you guys are morons," she got up and took Ariel upstairs with her.

She went into her bedroom and placed Ariel on her bed before calling Brian. "Hey, Red. What's up?"

"They have given me the world's dumbest man for protection. So, are we still on for dinner?"

"Of course. I never break dates with beautiful women."

"Brian, please stop reading Nicholas Sparks novels."

"Hey, that wasn't Nicholas Sparks. That was Danielle Steel," he said as Alexis smiled.

"I'm not sure if that's better or worse."

"Alexis, I'm going to miss you so much this weekend. Are you sure that you can't go?"

"I'll tell you what," she smiled at Ariel, who was playing with Monkey Bunkey on her bed. "If Josh gets taken into custody before our dinner date, I'll go to DC with you."

"Well, I'll keep my fingers crossed that something happens in the next six hours then."

"I'll see you at five."

"Looking forward to it, Red."

"Please stop calling me that." She hung up and moved closer to her little sister. "Men are so silly, Ariel. I love you and I love my dad and Kate, but I really want to go with him this weekend."

"Go!" Ariel pulled Alexis' long red hair.

"Hey, no hair pulling. No, no."

"Kiss, Lex."

"Okay, I can do that," Alexis smiled as the baby gave her a peck on the lips.

"Monkey," Ariel held the stuffed toy out to her sister.

"That's Monkey Bunkey. Daddy gave him to me when I was a baby."

"Alexis, I'm home!" She heard Kate call out from downstairs.

"We're up here!" Alexis called back. "Mommy's home early."

"Hi," Kate walked into Alexis' bedroom. "Your dad isn't here?"

"No. Maybe he went to the store."

Kate pulled out her phone and texted Castle: **'I'm home with Alexis and Ari. Where are u?'**

Walking the blocks around his home, Castle felt his phone vibrate. He read Kate's text before sending one of his own. **'Doing surveillance. Will b home soon.'**

"Surveillance on what? Rick, you're not an operative," Kate shook her head.

"He's acting stupid again, isn't he?"

"He just wants to keep us safe. Come on, let's go downstairs."

"Do I have to? If I have to spend another minute with that Marshal Klein, I'm liable to strangle him with my bare hands."

"I'll take Ari and ask Marshal Klein to leave."

Sitting in his post across the street, Josh saw the marshal leave the loft. He'd seen Kate go in just moments earlier, so he was guessing she'd gotten rid of their protective detail, but for how long? He made his way back across the street, missing running into Castle by mere seconds.

Once Marshal Klein was gone, Alexis made her way downstairs. "So, what was your issue with Klein?"

"Besides him believing the crap that Josh was spouting about Ariel being his? Everything. I told Brian that if Josh is taken into custody before our dinner date tonight, I'll go to DC with him."

"I didn't know that you were seeing Brian for dinner. Alexis, do you really think—"

"Kate, I lived in fear after Paris. I'm not going to live like that again! I'm not going to be alone."

Kate was about to say something further when she heard a loud thumping against the outside window. "Alexis, take Ari and get in the bathroom. Take your phone and call your dad and 9-1-1. Go!" Kate picked Ari up and thrust her at her older daughter. "Lock the door behind you and sit up against it! Don't open it until I tell you otherwise!"

Alexis ran with Ariel into the bathroom in the master bedroom, locking the door behind her. She then called her father. "Daddy, pick up the phone."

"Hey, Alexis. I told Kate—"

"Daddy, he's trying to get into the loft!"

"Okay, I'll be right there. Hang up and call 9-1-1! Where are you, baby?"

"In the bathroom with the baby. Kate sent us in here. Dad, I can hear her in your office."

"Okay, call 9-1-1! Now!"

In the office, Kate opened the gun safe with shaking fingers and retrieved her Glock. Just as she pulled out the gun, she heard a shot and the sound of glass breaking coming from the living room. She looked around the corner of the doorway between the office and the living room just in time to see Josh stepping through the broken glass, a Yankees cap pulled over his eyes. "Stop right there, Josh!" She came out of the office with her gun leveled at his chest.

"I told you that this wasn't going to end well, Kate," he reminded her.

In the bathroom, Alexis was trying to calm a shrieking Ariel and talk to 9-1-1 at the same time. "Alexis, is the man in the apartment now?"

"Yes, I just heard my mother yell at him."

"Where are you?"

"I'm in the master bath with my baby sister. She's crying so loud. She's so scared. So am I."

"Alexis, you're going to be okay. Do you know the man who's in your home?"

"Yes, Josh Davidson. He's a prison escapee."

"Okay, Alexis. Stay on the phone with me. You said that your mom has a gun?"

"Yes, she's a cop. I think he has a gun, too. I don't want him to kill her," Alexis began to sob.

"Okay, the police are on their way. Just stay on the line with me until they get there."

Right after Castle had gotten Alexis' call; he ran to the command center van and pounded on it. Marshal Klein opened the door. "Alexis just called! Josh is in the apartment!"

"Griebs, suspect is in Castle's apartment," Klein said over his radio. "We're heading in."

Griebs jumped out of another vehicle parked near the apartment and began following his men into the building. When they got on the elevator, Castle shot off a text to Martin. **'Kate is in trouble. Davidson is in our home.'**

'**Ok. Meet u up there,' **came the reply.

In the living room, Kate and Josh were having a standoff. "Drop the gun, Josh," she warned him again even as she heard voices outside of the loft.

In the corridor outside of the loft, Castle, the marshal's, and his new security detail were approaching the front door. "Kate!" Castle shouted as he pounded on the door.

"Mr. Castle, get back!" One of the marshals began kicking at the door.

Inside the apartment, Josh looked from the door and back to Kate before he aimed at her heart. Kate didn't hesitate. She fired one shot just as the door flew opened and the room was filled with cops, civilians, and Castle.

Inside the bathroom Alexis jumped when she heard the gunshot. "Oh my god. Oh my god."

"Alexis, was that a gunshot?"

"Yes."

"Alexis, listen to me. Do _not _come out of hiding. Just hold on one second, okay." The 9-1-1 operator was on the line with the officers en route to the scene. "Be advised that shots have been fired."

"Roger that," the voice told her.

Moments after the shots were fired, Ryan and Esposito also ran into the loft. They watched as the marshals wrenched an injured Josh to his feet. "Too bad you didn't kill him, chica," Espo told Kate, who was standing as if in a state of shock.

She walked over to where two marshals were holding Josh between them, pulled her foot back and kicked him as hard as she could between the legs. Every man in the room grimaced and mentally grabbed themselves. "That's for fucking with my family, you son of a bitch. Get him out of here. He's bleeding all over my floors."

"Where's Alexis?" Castle asked.

"Alexis!" Kate called out as the two of them ran toward the master bedroom.

"I hear my dad and mom," Alexis told the operator.

"Okay, I'm going to hang up then."

"Alexis, unlock the door!"

Alexis unlocked the door and flew into both Kate and Castle's arms with Ariel. "Is he dead?" She sobbed.

"No, but he'll probably never father a child," Castle still remembered the kick Kate had delivered to his balls. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she held onto him tightly as Kate took Ari from her arms.

"Detective, we're going to need your statement," Marshal Griebs said from the bedroom doorway.

"It was a good shoot. He broke into our home."

"I know, but you know how this works. We still have to have your statement. We also need your gun."

"Go," Castle kissed her. "I've got this under control."

But when Kate tried to hand Ari over to him, the baby shrieked and clung to her mother's neck. "Ari, please go to daddy. Mommy has to go to work for a little while. God Castle, what have I done to her?"

"Kate, it's okay," Castle softly stroked Ariel's back until she relinquished her hold on her mother and allowed him to take her.

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

When Kate followed Griebs back into the living room, the marshal noticed the three strange men in the room. "Who are you guys?"

"Bystanders. We heard screams coming from the apartment," Martin lied.

"That's funny, because I sure as hell didn't hear any screams. Did you guys?" He asked his team, as they all shook their heads. "I'm going to ask again. Who are you?"

"Bystanders," Martin repeated.

"Yeah, well, we're going to need your statements, too," Griebs told them.

Martin looked at Castle, who was holding Ariel to his shoulder as she clung to him, his arm holding Alexis to his side. The two men exchanged slight nods before Martin turned and left the room along with the two members of his team. "Dad, what's going to happen to them?"

"They'll be okay, sweetie. They're used to living their lives based on deception."

"Maybe they should try out for 'Survivor,'" Alexis suggested as her dad hugged her tighter to him.

***CCC***

At the precinct, Kate sat in a room with Ryan, Esposito, and Griebs. "Walk us through what happened," Griebs said.

"I had just taken Ari downstairs to make lunch. I heard a thumping on the window and realized that someone was trying to break in through our patio. I gave Ari to Alexis and told her to go into the bathroom. I told her to lock the door, sit up against it, and to call her dad and 9-1-1. I then went and took my gun from the gun safe in Castle's office. As I was removing my gun, I heard a gunshot and glass breaking. I looked around the doorway going into the living room and saw Josh coming through the broken glass with a gun in his hand. I warned him twice to drop his gun. When I heard the marshals trying to come through the door, he raised his gun and aimed it at me in a threatening posture, so that's when I defended myself."

"My marshals are at the hospital taking Davidson's statement. You hit him in the shoulder, so he'll live long enough to go back to prison. For right now, it looks like a good shoot. But, we'll know more once we get his statement and talk to your daughter."

"You have to talk to Alexis?"

"Det. Beckett, she's the only witness. Your baby daughter is too young, so yes, we have to talk to Alexis."

"Okay, I'll call her."

"No, _I'll _call her."

"Why, Marshal Griebs? Are you afraid that I'll put words in her mouth?"

"Who were those three men who came in with your husband?"

"I don't know. All I saw were your men and Castle. I didn't notice anybody else."

"Did your husband hire private security?"

"So what if he did? If he has the money, which he obviously does, what does it matter who or what he spends it on? Am I done here? Because I'd really like to go home to my husband and daughters."

"I need Alexis' phone number, detective," he told her.

Kate dialed Alexis' number, her eyes flashing green fire. She was clearly pissed. "Alexis, hold on for Marshal Griebs," Kate said.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Castle, this is Marshal Griebs. One of my men will be there shortly to take your statement about what happened."

"Is Kate in trouble?"

"Everything's fine. Just tell the truth."

"Espo, can you and Ryan give me a ride home?"

"Sure," Espo said as the two detectives got up.

***CCC***

The bullet Kate had fired into Josh's shoulder had gone straight through. He'd need surgery to close up the wound, but he was stable enough to answer questions. "How did you get into the Castle's apartment?"

"I . . . used the window washer's scaffold," he said through clenched teeth.

"Were you armed?"

"Yes. You must've found my gun in the apartment."

"What was your intent?"

I wanted . . . to . . . see my kid!"

"Who was in the apartment when you broke in?"

"Kate . . . came out . . . from . . . another room. I would've . . . killed her . . . if you . . . hadn't come in."

***CCC***

Castle was cuddled on the sofa with Ariel when he heard Kate's key in the lock. He jumped up with the baby in his arms as he rushed over to the door. "Are you okay?" He asked, when she walked over and wrapped her arms around him and the baby, holding both of them tightly.

"I'm okay. Where's Alexis?"

"Giving her statement. She should be almost done. As soon as she's done, we'll pack up and head to The Four Seasons. The super's got somebody coming up to replace the sliding door. Did they say anything?"

"It's a good shoot, Castle. They're just waiting for Alexis and Josh's statements. Let me have her, Castle," she held her arms out for Ari, who happily went to her mother. "Hey, chunky monkey."

Castle took her hand and led her over to the couch and the three of them sat, cuddling close together while the TV droned in the background. "We should go by the hospital and tell your dad the news."

"Later. I'm too tired to even think right now."

A short time later, Alexis walked the marshal to the door and let him out before turning to smile at her father, Kate, and Ariel, who were sitting on the couch. Her father had his arm around Kate, who was sleeping with her head on his shoulder and Ariel pressed against her breast, also asleep. "Dad, can I talk to you about something?" Alexis came over and sat in the recliner. "Brian's taking the eight o'clock flight to DC tonight and I'd really like to go with him. I already mentioned it to Kate, but we didn't get to discuss it before Josh tried to break in."

"Are you sure?"

"Am I sure that I want to go to DC with Brian? Yes."

"Alexis, you do know that sex changes things, right?"

"Did sex change how you felt about Kate?" Alexis threw back at him.

"It gave me a stronger connection to her. Because it's hard to hide yourself from the other person when you're intimate. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, it makes perfect sense. I know that I don't need your permission, but I'd like to know that you're okay with it."

"Have you already gotten your ticket?"

"Not yet. We probably won't get to sit together on the plane, but I really want to go."

"Bring me my laptop," he instructed her as she jumped up and hugged his neck.

"That must've almost killed you," Kate mumbled sleepily against his shoulder.

"You have no idea."

"Castle, you might not have been in the delivery room with Meredith, but I can assure you that Alexis wasn't hidden in a cabbage patch, either. Every woman is some man's daughter and sooner or later, we all have sex."

"You are _not _making me feel any better."

"If you're a good boy, I'll let you have fun with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream later," she bit his ear lobe.

"Hey, no getting frisky in front of the kid," he warned her.

Alexis came back in bringing her father his laptop. He quickly went online and ordered her an e-ticket for the same flight as Brian. "Thanks, daddy," she hugged him again.

"Hey, promise me something," he looked at her with blue eyes filled with fatherly concern. "If you change your mind and he tries to cause trouble, you call me."

"I will."

"And Alexis?" Kate added. "No means no. If he tries something that you're not comfortable with, you make sure that Brian understands the meaning of the word 'no.'"

"Okay. I'm going to go pack."

"I need to call mother and tell her that Josh has been taken down by her bad-ass daughter-in-law," Rick grinned at her as he pulled his cell phone out.

Kate didn't return his grin. Instead she snuggled closer into his shoulder. While she was glad that Josh had been taken care of, she never took any satisfaction in shooting someone. But Castle was right when he'd told her that she'd do anything to protect her children. She was just thankful that Alexis had done as she'd asked without question.

Right after Rick spoke with Martha, the doorbell rang. He got up and went to the door, letting in the men who were replacing the door. He'd no sooner closed the door than the buzzer sounded again. This time he opened it to find the boys standing there. Kate looked up expectantly as Castle showed them into the living room.

"Hi, guys."

"It was deemed a good shoot, Beckett. We just talked to Griebs. He said that Josh's and Alexis' version of events jibes with yours," Espo told her. "The wound to his shoulder went straight through. He'll probably be in the hospital a day or two, and then he'll be moved. Griebs said he'll be moved farther upstate to a much more secure facility. He's also going to have considerable time added. Chances are he's never going to see the outside of a prison ever again."

"Is everybody okay?" Ryan asked, smiling at the sleeping baby in Kate's arms.

"Yeah. I should probably go up and see my dad."

"Griebs is still asking questions about those other dudes, bro," Espo looked at Castle.

"So, I hired a security team. Is that a crime?"

"Not in my book."

"They're just upset because they almost screwed the pooch. There were supposed to be marshals on this floor or in this apartment. Do you know where they were when Josh came through that door? In a command vehicle parked across the street! Granted, my guys weren't where they were supposed to be either, but the marshals are the ones who fucked up!" Castle stood up, thoroughly enraged as his wife and friends watched him.

"Bro, you're not going to get an argument from us on that one," Espo consoled him.

"Did you ever find out where he was hiding?" Kate asked.

"No. He hasn't said. It was somewhere where he had a good vantage point so that he could see the comings and goings of the apartment building. He was biding his time waiting for the right moment to strike."

"Well, he found it," Castle turned and stormed from the room.

"We'll let you take care of him," Ryan told her as they got up. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"For right now."

Kate stayed in the living room until the men were done installing the new door. After they left, she took Ari up to her room and put her in her crib before coming back downstairs. She found Rick standing at the newly installed sliding glass doors, staring out at the New York City skyline. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek into his back. "You do know that we're okay, right? He didn't hurt any of us."

"Kate, what if it had gone the other way?" He turned to face her.

"Since when have you ever doubted my ability with a gun?" She teased.

"Why didn't the marshals consider the notion that he could've gotten in like he did?"

"Because they weren't thinking outside of the box. But, we don't have to worry about him anymore. It's over, Rick."

"The thought of losing the three of you makes me sick inside."

"I know. But, we're safe. Alexis did as I asked. He never got past the living room."

"Why didn't you shoot to kill?" He looked down at her.

"Because there wasn't a reason to. If he'd advanced on me, I would've shot to kill, but he just aimed at me in a threatening manner. There was no reason to kill him, Castle," she repeated.

"If it had been me—"

"But, it wasn't you. Now, do you still want to take us to The Four Seasons or do you want to just stay here since we have a new door?"

"Well, The Four Seasons is more of a romantic getaway, so I guess we could just stay here. Do you still want to go and visit your dad?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, as soon as we see Alexis off, we'll go see him. We'll go in separately since we can't take the baby in."

"Want to make a bet?" She grinned at him.

"You're going to sneak her in?" He was amused.

"Castle, the man almost died. I think he deserves to see his granddaughter."

Brian arrived at a quarter to five. "Take good care of my daughter," Castle warned him.

"Yes sir, I will. We'll be home Sunday afternoon."

"Have fun, sweetie," Castle kissed Alexis and gave her a huge hug.

"Thanks, dad. Bye, Kate," Alexis hugged Kate, who was holding Ari.

"Bye, sweetie. We'll see you Sunday."

***CCC***

"So, is he in this hospital?"

"No, he's at Bellevue," Kate told her father, as she struggled to hold onto Ari, who wanted to explore all of the equipment in the room.

"But you and the girls are okay?" He asked again.

"Yeah, we're fine. Have they said when you're getting out of here?"

"In three, maybe four days. Thank you for bringing Ariel," he smiled at his granddaughter, who was playing with the remote control.

"You're welcome. We figured a man who cheated death deserved to see his granddaughter."

It was almost nine o'clock by the time they arrived back home that night. Kate changed Ari and put her in her crib before going downstairs and collapsing beside Castle on the sofa. "This has been the craziest day ever," she commented.

Castle didn't reply. He found himself wondering about something Alexis had said to him when he'd taken her to Paris a year before. "Have you ever thought about going back to that house where he held you?"

Kate jumped up off of the sofa and stared at him in disbelief. Why was he bringing this up now and why did he think she'd ever want to return to that house?

**A/N #3: I love chapters that develop lives of their own. Anyway, things are going to do in a decidedly different direction in the next few chapters.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960.**


	7. Chapter 7--Memories in the Shadows

**Disclaimers: Since I'm broke, that would be a 'no.'**

**Summary: The repercussions of being forced to shoot Josh hit Kate hard.**

**A/N #1: Once again, everything comes down to what happened during Kate's six-day ordeal at Josh's hands. His shooting at her hands is going to bring up a lot of repressed memories.**

Chapter 7: Memories in the Shadows

"Why in the hell do you think I'd want to go back to that house?" Kate continued staring at her husband in disbelief, still trying to figure out just what he was thinking.

"Because you were the one who suggested that Alexis go back to Paris to confront her demons."

"Rick, I thought that Paris was a good idea because Alexis was struggling with her feelings about what had happened over there."

"Why haven't you ever wanted to go back to that house?"

"Where is this coming from?"

"You haven't slept in a week, Kate. Not more than a couple of hours a night, anyway. I know that you think that I don't know. But, believe me, when you're awake, I'm awake."

"I haven't slept because we've been under siege, Rick. I've been trying to keep our family safe."

"And you think that I haven't worried about that?"

"Are we really going to fight about this now?"

He could see how tired she was. He could _feel _how tired they both were. He rubbed his face wearily. "No, we're not going to fight about this," he got up and walked over to her, enfolding her into his arms as she grabbed handfuls of shirt at his waist. "Why don't we just take a shower and go to bed?"

"That's the best offer I've had all day," she sighed against him.

After they took a shower, they crawled into bed where Kate lay with her head on Rick's stomach. His fingers combed through her tangled hair, something that never failed to relax her. His fingers were so soothing, so gentle. She loved the feel of his fingers on her body, be it in her hair as they were now, or trailing down her body as he made love to her. After lying on his stomach for a little while she moved up so she was now on his chest. He kissed the top of her head, slipping an arm around her. "Are you on call this weekend?" He once again kissed the top of her head.

"No, not this weekend," she hoped that he wasn't about to suggest a road trip to Buffalo, specifically to Lake Erie, where she'd been held for six days.

"Let's take Ariel and go to the Hamptons. We could all use the downtime."

"Yeah, I'd like that," she looked up and smiled at him.

"We can leave Friday evening after you get home from work and come back Sunday before Alexis gets back from DC."

"Why don't you call your mom and see if she wants to come with us?" Kate looked up at him once again.

"I'll call her in the morning. When is your dad being released from the hospital?"

"He said three or four days. So, probably Sunday or Monday." 

"Maybe after he's feeling better and once Alexis gets back, we can have a family dinner."

"That sounds really good. Could we invite the boys, and Lanie?"

"Sure," he was agreeable. "Sleep now, sweetheart."

"Stop with the pet names," she yawned as sleep overtook her.

_She was running through the woods, the roots tripping her at every turn. She could hear footsteps behind her. He was coming after her. She could hear him calling her name. "Kate! You can't run from me! Kate!" Then she heard another voice, the voice of the man who'd saved her from herself. The voice of the man who'd time and again brought her back from the edge of the abyss that she had hovered over since she was 19 years old. _

"_Kate! Beckett!"_

"_You can't have her, Castle. She belongs to me now."_

"_No!" Kate screamed. "Get away! Get away! Get away from me! Leave me alone!"_

"Kate! Beckett!" She could hear someone shouting at her. She jerked awake to find Castle staring at her, his blue eyes full of love and concern for her.

"Rick?" She fought to wake herself up before reaching for him.

"It's okay. You're safe. I've got you," he wrapped his arms around her and held her shaking body to his as tightly as he could. "I've always got you."

"He was chasing me through the woods, Castle. I couldn't get away from him. He kept telling me that I belonged to him."

"Shh," he soothed her. "It was just a bad dream."

"No, Castle," she pulled back from him. "He kept telling me that I belonged to him. He would repeat it over and over. Everything was so loud. He called it, uh, sensory overload. But he kept saying that over and over," she repeated, biting her lip. "He told me that he'd keep saying it until I said it back to him. I just wanted the noise to stop, Castle. I couldn't stand the sound of his voice. I'd tell him anything he wanted to hear just so he'd stop talking."

"I know."

"No, Castle. I didn't want to be with him. I only want to be with you. I just want you," she continued sobbing as she clung to him.

"Kate, it's okay."

Castle had become used to the nightmares that had dominated Kate's life since he'd rescued her from Josh over two years before. But this wasn't just a nightmare or one of her flashbacks. This was blind, bone-numbing terror. He kept his tight hold on her while she cried hysterically into his neck. It was at least another 20 or 30 minutes before she relaxed enough to loosen her hold on him. "It was always so loud," he could hear her muffled words against his neck. "If he wasn't talking, he would have music on or the TV."

Castle frowned. He knew that Espo had found the cooler with the Ketamine in it, but he didn't remember him saying anything about seeing a TV or a radio. There had been a computer, but it had been upstairs. Castle remembered seeing it and the pictures of Kate that Josh had downloaded onto it. But as upset as she was, he didn't want to make a bad situation worse by telling her that it had probably been hallucinations that she'd been hearing.

He finally managed to get her back on her pillow as he smoothed his hand over her face, wiping her tears away with his thumbs. "Better?" He asked as she slowly nodded. "Do you think you can go back to sleep now?"

"No," she smiled at him, before pulling him back down to her.

When he woke up the next morning, he rolled over and smiled at the sight of Kate sitting on the bed with Ari between her legs, combing the little girl's incredibly curly hair into two pigtails. "I am insanely jealous of my daughter's hair, Castle. Does that make me a bad mom?"

"No. Alexis' hair was stick straight and flyaway as it could be. I bought a book and learned how to do French braids and other little girls' hairstyles. But Alexis hated having her hair pulled back when she was small. I'm glad that Ariel got your hair and not mine."

"Actually, I'm not sure that this is my hair, either. I don't remember mine being this curly. I'd have to ask my dad."

"So, are you feeling better this morning?"

"Let me think," she smiled. "You had the most incredible cure for my nightmare this morning, so yeah, I'm good. Ari and I are going to go make breakfast."

He grinned before swinging his legs over the side of the bed and getting up to dress. It had actually been Kate who had seduced him at four in the morning, but he'd been more than willing to go along with her plan. He smiled at the memory of how she'd felt under his hands as they'd made love earlier that morning. But as he stood under the hot spray of the shower, he made a mental note to call Esposito and ask him what else had been in that basement.

In the kitchen Kate was making scrambled eggs and bacon while Ari played in her high chair nearby. She kept forcing herself to move away from the memories of her nightmare earlier that morning, instead focusing on the chatter of her baby daughter. It had been a little more than two years before when they'd conceived her. Kate could no longer even imagine a world without her brown-haired, blue-eyed Ari, who was the most perfect combination of her and Rick. Kate was still smiling when her cell phone rang. "Hi, Alexis," she chirped when she answered the phone. "So?"

"You don't think I'm going to kiss and tell, do you?"

"Of course not. Let me just ask you this. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. In fact, I'm really good," Kate could almost see the blush as she laughed. "I'm about to go watch Brian in his mock trial, but I wanted to check in first. I tried dad's phone, but I guess he's in the shower, because he didn't pick up."

"Yeah, we just got up. We're going to leave for the Hamptons this weekend, so if we're not here when you get back home, that's where we are. I'm glad that you're having fun."

"Thanks, Kate. Are you okay?"

"I'm struggling," Kate answered honestly. "But, your dad's here for me."

"Well, kiss dad and the baby for me. I'll see you Sunday evening. I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll have your dad call you when he gets out of the shower."

"No, just tell him that I'll call him around lunchtime. My phone's going to be off."

"Okay, sweetie. Bye."

"Was that Alexis?" Castle came out of the bathroom in bare feet, his hair still damp from his shower.

"She'll call you at lunchtime. She said her phone's going to be turned off. Move Ari to the table and we'll eat."

Watching Ari eat on her own never failed to make Kate both grimace and laugh, at the same time. She'd grimace at the mess that she made, but it was funny to see her small face covered in egg and strawberry jam from her toast. "It's amazing that she gets any food in her stomach," Castle shook his head as Kate laughed.

"Maybe it gets absorbed through her skin," Kate suggested.

"Remember the spaghetti fiasco?" He reminded her as she put her head in her hands and groaned.

The first time they'd let Ariel feed herself spaghetti had been horrifying and humorous at the same time. She managed to get sauce all over herself, the floor, the high chair, and had finally dumped the entire bowl on her head when she was done. After bathing her, their tub had looked like a body had been dumped in it.

"I think she wanted to be a redhead like her big sister and grandmother. I have to go get dressed," Kate jumped up from the table. "You have her, right?"

"I have all of my girls," he smiled at her.

"Yes, you do," she walked over and kissed the top of his head.

By the time Kate was dressed, Castle had gotten Ari cleaned up and the two of them were playing with an activity table in the middle of the living room floor. Kate loved that table. It had the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and other things to engage Ari. The baby would play at it for long stretches of time before getting bored. And her husband was as easily enthralled with the table as his progeny was. "Have fun playing with daddy," Kate knelt down and kissed Ari all over her face.

"Kiss," Ari gave her mother a smooch on the lips. "Work."

"Yeah, I have to go to work. I'll be back later."

"Bye, mama," she waved her tiny hand.

"Bye, chunky monkey," she got up and walked to the other side of the table. "Bye, Castle."

"Bye," he kissed her. "Be careful."

"I will."

When Kate got to work, for some reason her mind went back to her nightmare earlier. She was deep in thought when she heard Ryan clearing his throat. "You were a million miles away. Are you okay?" He asked, sitting down in Castle's chair.

"Castle thinks that I should go back to that house where Josh held me captive. He said something about it last night. Do you think that I should?"

"That's not up to me. How do you feel about going back to that house?"

"I don't know. After Josh was sentenced and I got pregnant with Ari, I never gave that house a second thought. Now—" she shrugged.

"Now you're not sure?" Ryan finished her sentence as she nodded. "I think his escape and what he did to you guys has reopened some of those old issues. But, I'm not sure returning to that house is the answer. But, that's something that you and Castle will have to discuss."

Espo was running financials later that morning when the elevator doors opened. He grinned at the sight of Castle with his small daughter perched on his back in one of those backpack like carriers. "Hey, it's Castle and littlest Castle," he walked over to them. "What's up, bro?"

"Where's Kate?"

"Oh, she and Ryan went to go interview a witness. She should be back soon. This kid gets bigger every day."

"Tell me about it. Can you grab her? Kate can do the whole carrying her and removing her. I can't get the logistics of this thing. I never used one with Alexis."

Espo removed Ariel from the carrier and held her out to her father. "So, are you here to take Beckett to lunch?"

"Partly. I need to ask you something," he walked over to Espo's desk. "When you took evidence from that basement after we rescued Kate, did you find a TV or a radio?"

"There were speakers mounted on the wall, but no TV or radio," Espo remembered. "Why?"

"She had a horrible nightmare this morning. She said that he'd play music or the TV very loudly."

"With the Special K, it would've seemed louder. He might've had his TV or sound system piped into the speakers. You'd have to ask CSU. I didn't know she was still dealing with that."

"Well, this morning might've been my fault. I suggested that she go back to that house."

"Bro, you didn't," Espo groaned. "Bro, you don't suggest to somebody with PTSD that they return to the cause of the trauma. When she's ready, she'll tell you."

"But, what you did that day in the—"

"She told you about that?"

"Yeah, a long time ago. How is that different from me suggesting that we go back to that house?"

Espo was at a loss for words. He'd taken Beckett into that property room that day because he'd seen a young woman who was spiraling out of control. A part of him wondered if Castle's suggestion was more out of morbid curiosity than anything else. Like when he'd asked him for the files on Johanna Beckett's murder. "Bro, you need to ask yourself a question," Espo looked at his old friend pointedly. "Do you want to take Beckett out to that house for her or for your own curiosity?"

"I just want to close this chapter of our lives."

"Taking her out to that house isn't going to close the chapter. It'll push it aside like it did when he was sent to prison and she had the baby. It's always going to be there. It's a part of her, Castle. A part of who she is as a person."

"So, I should just let it go?"

"For now, yes."

"Mama!" Ari cried out when she saw her mother walking toward her.

"Hi!" Kate swept Ari into her arms before kissing Castle. "What're you two doing here?"

"Ariel wanted to take mommy to lunch, and you know I have a problem refusing beautiful women," Castle grinned.

"Let me take care of something real quick and we'll go," she handed Ari back to Castle.

Kate went to file some paperwork before returning to her husband and daughter. "So, what're you in the mood for? Remy's?" He asked her as he handed the baby back to her.

"How about Thai?"

"Okay, Thai's good," he agreed as they stepped into the elevator.

They went to their favorite Thai restaurant near the precinct where they both had the green curry while Ari made a mess with some sticky rice. "Did Alexis call you back?"

"Yeah, right before I came to the precinct. They were on their way to lunch. She sounds like she's having a good time. She said that they were going to walk around the mall after Brian gets done this afternoon. Kate, I'm sorry about last night. For bringing that house up. It was wrong of me to push."

"It's okay, Rick. You're right that I need to go back there. I'm just not ready, yet."

"I was talking to Espo before you and Ryan got back. He asked me if I wanted you to go back to that house for you or to satisfy my morbid curiosity. I guess I never thought about it like that."

"Look, I'll gladly talk to you about it, but not now," she glanced across the table at the face of their baby.

"Okay."

When Kate got back to her desk after lunch, there was a message on her desk to call Lanie. "Hey girl, what's up?" Kate called her back. "Why didn't you just call my cell?"

"I didn't want Castle to know that I was calling. Javi thought that you might want to talk."

Kate looked behind her shoulder to where Espo was working on paperwork. "Maybe we could go to the Old Haunt for a drink after work," Kate suggested.

"That sounds great. I'll meet you there."

Kate hung up and then texted Castle. **'Meeting L at O.H. Boy trouble. Won't b late. ILY.'**

'**Ok. Will hold down fort here. B careful. ILY back.'**

Kate met Lanie at The Old Haunt at 5:15. She ordered a margarita and came over to sit down across from her best friend, who was drinking a mojito. "Javi said that Rick said something about wanting to take you back to that house upstate."

"Yeah, it came from out of left field last night after Alexis had left with Brian for DC. I had that dream where he's chasing me in the woods, Lanie. I hate that dream."

"Does he say anything this time?" Lanie asked as Kate looked at her with huge eyes and slowly nodded. "Was it a memory or just part of the dream?"

"When he was holding me in that basement, he'd play really loud music or game shows. Then he'd sit in a chair by the bed and keep saying that I belonged to him. That he was going to keep saying that and playing the music and TV until I said those words back to him. He . . . kept telling me . . . that Rick . . . only followed me because . . . he wanted to . . . get into my pants. That he'd lose interest in me. He'd keep . . . saying the same shit over and over for hours. It was so loud, Lanie. I'd say whatever he wanted me to say just so the noise would stop."

"I know, sweetie. But, how much of that was real and how much were hallucinations?"

"I don't know. Even now I can't stand it when Castle turns the TV up loud. Game shows are the worst. He was watching _'Wheel of Fortune' _one night and I about lost it. I just hate that I'm still fighting what he did to me two years later."

"I don't think his escape from prison helped. How much sleep have you gotten since his escape?"

"Not much. A couple, maybe three hours a night. Last night, I woke Castle up screaming because I thought he was chasing me. I'm surprised I didn't wake Ari up. And speaking of Ari—"Kate wiped at her eyes. "—She's gotten so that Rick and I can't leave her."

"She'll be fine. Kids are resilient. Besides, you and Castle are great parents. She'll be her usual bright, bubbly self in no time. How's Alexis?"

"I think she's okay. She's in DC with Brian for his mock trial. Lanie, she did so great when she had to call 9-1-1. I'm so proud of her."

"So, how does Castle feel about the boyfriend?"

"I think he likes him, but he'd be the last person to admit it. After all, Alexis is his little girl."

"Is it serious?"

"I think so, but I don't know."

"So, except for the nightmares, how are you?"

"I think I'm okay."

"Kate, does Castle know about the sensory overload?"

"I told him some of it. I've been trying to tell him things as I remember. It's just that . . . he did so many things to me that I'm so ashamed of."

"Are you sorry that you didn't kill him?"

"I haven't had time to process that, yet. I think Castle is upset because I didn't kill him."

"Have you talked to the D.A. about the additional charges that he now faces?"

"No, not yet."

"How's your dad?"

"Anxious to get out of the hospital. I tried to talk him into staying at the loft, but he's more stubborn than I am. He insists that he can take care of himself. Lanie, do you think that I should go back to that house?"

"That's not my call. I think when you're ready; you'll go back to it. But I don't think you're there, yet."

"Now you sound like Ryan," Kate smiled.

"See, you have smart friends."

"Yes, I do."

When Kate walked into the loft an hour later, she smiled at Rick, who was sitting on the sofa with Ari, who'd obviously just had her bath judging by the damp ringlets that touched her shoulders. "Hi, chunky monkey," Kate came over and sat beside Rick. "What's daddy reading to you tonight?"

"Doggies!"

"These aren't doggies," Castle patiently corrected his daughter. "These are bears."

"Doggies!"

"You're not going to win, Castle. Come on, chunky monkey. Rock-rock time."

"No," Ari began to whine and cry.

"You do realize that according to my baby books, you're months ahead of the 'no' stage."

"But, she's never read any of those books," Castle grinned at her as Kate rolled her eyes.

"Come on, we'll finish the tale of the incredibly huge doggies upstairs," Kate removed Ari from Castle along with the book.

"Daddy!" Ari reached her arms out to Castle while Kate felt like crying.

"Let's go and I'll read to both of my girls," Castle took Kate's hand before leading her upstairs to Ariel's room.

Kate sat in the rocking chair with Ari in her arms while Castle sat on the floor at her feet and began to read _'Goldilocks and the Three Bears,' _complete with voices and sound effects. Ari loved it; laughing and giggling while her father read, but she was showing no signs of going to sleep. "Ari, it is past your bedtime," Kate re-positioned her so that she was cradled in her arms. She softly began to hum to her as she stroked her fingers through her daughter's slightly damp curls.

Castle continued sitting at Kate's feet, smiling while he watched her putting their baby to bed. As she hummed, he could Ariel's eyes getting heavier and heavier as she finally gave up the fight to stay awake. Once she was asleep, Kate sat for a little while longer, just holding her and breathing in the scent of shampoo and bath soap. He got up so that she could get out of the rocker and carry the baby over to her crib. "Is it me or is she the world's most gorgeous baby?" He asked Kate.

"You only make gorgeous babies, Castle," she turned to kiss him.

They stood there for a few more minutes until finally leaving her room and going back downstairs. "Do you want a glass of wine?" He asked, going into the kitchen.

"No, I had a couple of margaritas at The Old Haunt. I shouldn't drink anything else. Some water would be great, though."

Castle came back into the living room with a glass of wine for himself and a bottle of water for Kate. He sat down beside her on the sofa and slipped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to him. "She senses that you and I are still upset," he said suddenly as Kate looked at him. "Ariel. She feels our tension. That's why she's acting like she is. Once we relax, she'll be fine. You think that they're too young to understand what's going on, but that's wrong. Once, when Alexis was two, Meredith and I got into a horrible argument. This was before the divorce. I thought that Alexis was asleep, so we . . . or I should say, I, didn't give it a second thought. Well, later that night Alexis woke up screaming and for the next week, she wouldn't let me out of her sight to so much as go to the bathroom. I made a vow that I'd never again argue with anybody in front of her."

"Castle, are you mad because I didn't kill him?"

"Did you think about killing him?" He threw back at her.

"Honestly? Yes. For about 15 seconds. And I know that I would've been justified, but it's hard enough to shoot to kill in the line of duty. I just couldn't do it, Castle. If that makes you angry with me, then that's something I'm going to have to live with."

"I'm not angry because you didn't kill him, Kate. I can't say how I would've reacted if I'd been in your shoes. Maybe I would've done the same thing. The important thing is you saved our girls. You kept him from getting any further into our home. He's going back to prison and from everything that I understand, he's going to get considerable time tacked onto his sentence."

"At least another 20 years, maybe even more. Let's see; he's got escape, stalking, making terroristic threats, attempted murder—"

"Two counts," Castle looked at her.

"Two counts of attempted murder, burglary, breaking and entering, criminal trespass. From what the marshals were telling me, the D.A.'s going to throw the book at him this time. He's not dropping anything and I'm not going for a fucking plea bargain. I never want him to see the light of day on the outside ever again."

"Or if he does see the light of day on the outside, he'll be too old to even think about doing anything."

***CCC***

The beach near the Hamptons house was wonderful. The sand and the sun were boiling hot, but the water felt deliciously cool. With each of them holding one of Ari's tiny hands, Rick and Kate waded a little ways into the water, pulling the baby up when the waves would roll into them. Finally lifting her into his arms and taking Kate's hand, Rick walked into the water until he was waist deep. After playing in the water for a little while, they made their way back to shore where a pail and shovel were sitting on the edge of the water. Kate smiled while she watched Castle play with Ari in the sand as the baby giggled with delight.

They'd arrived at the house the evening before and already everybody was a lot more relaxed. "Let's go home and see if Gram has made us a snack," Kate picked Ari up while Rick gathered up the beach paraphernalia.

"You do realize that a snack and my mother are a contradiction in terms?"

"How did you ever eat growing up?"

"Well, when I didn't have nannies, I ate a lot of pizza and Chinese food."

As always, Ari was delighted to see her grandmother. Kate changed her clothes and let Martha be in charge of the baby for a while. She'd watch the older woman with the baby and would find herself feeling wistful, wishing that her mother were here to experience her granddaughter in the same way that Martha was.

Martha caught Kate's eyes from across the room and knew what she was feeling. She'd seen that same look so many times since Ariel's birth. That look that said something was missing. Something that couldn't be replaced. She gave her attention back to Ariel, just in time to see her rubbing her face. "I think it's time for someone to take a nap," Martha announced, lifting her granddaughter into her arms and kissing her. "The beach always used to make Alexis sleepy, too."

"Let me take her, Martha."

"No, kiddo. I've got her. Why don't you make us some iced tea? I'll be back in two shakes."

Kate went into the kitchen and poured two glasses of iced tea, adding a lemon wedge and a sprig of mint to Martha's. She then took them out to the round patio table by the pool. The huge expanse of green lawn always took her breath away. From the first time Castle had ever brought her here, she'd always found herself swept away each time she visited. It was still hard to believe that this magnificent house was now also hers. She turned when she heard the French doors open. "I love the view from out here," Kate smiled at the older woman.

"When Richard first told me that he was buying a house out here, I thought that he was just acting like a big-shot. So many of the houses out here are so pretentious. But when he brought me and Alexis here the first time, I knew that this house was different than those other mansions."

"I wasn't sure what to expect the first time he brought me out here. I thought it was going to be something with butlers and maids."

"Hot and cold running servants has never been Richard's style. Can I ask you something?" 

"Of course," Kate looked at Martha, surprised to see her looking so serious. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, dear. Well, not in the way that you think. Is it hard when you see me playing with Ariel?"

"No, not hard," Kate bit her lip. "I just watch you with her, and I think about the way things should be and not the way that they are. My mom and I used to talk about when I'd get married and have kids of my own. Sometimes I think about what she'd be like with Ari. I think about how Ari would be with her."

"When I got pregnant with Richard, my mother disowned me. She would never talk to me again. When I went into labor, I was so scared. I didn't know what to expect and what I felt was far worse than anything I could've imagined."

"Martha, I'm so sorry. Where was your father?"

"Richard's grandfather passed when I was 10. After I had him, there were so many things that I didn't know about how to take care of a baby. And I had no one to ask. I'm frankly surprised that I didn't completely screw my son up."

"I know that I've told you this before, but you did a wonderful job with him," Kate smiled.

"I think that was in spite, and not because of me. And, as for Alexis, I still can't figure out how she turned out so well."

"She turned out so well because she has a father and a grandmother who love her deeply. That's why I believe that Ari will turn out to be just as wonderful as her older sister, only it's because this time she has four people who love her deeply. You, me, her father, and her grandfather. And, I'm always going to miss my mom every time I see you playing with Ari, but I know that she has one grandmother who loves her enough to make up for the other one not being here."

"Oh kiddo, I wish that my son had gotten wise about you long before he did," Martha embraced Kate.

"Me, too."

***CCC***

Kate was standing on the balcony outside of the bedroom, staring out at the night sky. She'd taken a shower after putting Ari to bed and was dressed in one of Castle's white dress shirts. Her favorite shirt. The one that she'd taken from his closet the morning after making love to him for the very first time. She ran a hand through her hair, not understanding why she was so much inside of her head tonight. Coming to the Hamptons usually relaxed her. But instead her thoughts kept going back to that final showdown with Josh.

She knew that killing him wouldn't have gotten him out of her head. She remembered the sounds and the smells of that basement where he'd held her prisoner. The music had been loud, mostly classical pieces by Bach. She was thankful that he hadn't used Coltrane, although it would've been like him to do that to her. Coltrane was something special that she shared with her father. Castle didn't even completely understand it, although he indulged her love for him.

She still remembered that day in the woods when she'd been rescued by Castle and Ryan. It was the first time that things had made some kind of sense again. When Rick had pulled her into his arms, she'd never wanted him to let her go. Just the smell of him made her feel safe once again. Which was why she was now wearing his shirt, her favorite shirt. Even after they were dry cleaned, they still smelled like him. When he was away on book tours, she'd sleep in them just so she'd have that feeling that he was with her in their bed at night.

She smiled when she heard footsteps behind her, followed seconds later by two strong arms encircling her waist, pulling her into the warmth of a familiar body. "Hey, Castle," she breathed, sighing at the feel of his lips on her neck.

"What're you doing out here?"

"Listening to the ocean and thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"I don't know. I'm too much inside of my head tonight," she turned toward him. "Maybe you could help with that."

"Maybe I could," he agreed. "Are you wearing my shirt?"

"I am."

"Damn, that's so . . . hot."

"I love you, Rick," she touched his neck.

"What's going on?" He rested his forehead against hers. "What're you thinking about?"

"I don't know," she clasped her hands around him before resting her head on his chest. He was so broad and solid. She loved how she fit so perfectly against him. How when she wasn't wearing her ridiculous power heels, the top of her head fit under his chin just right.

"You're back in that house, aren't you?"

"A part of me is always in that house. Castle, I don't want to be in that house anymore. I just want to be here with you and our daughter. I want _him _out of my head."

"You do know that there's only one way that's going to happen, don't you?"

"I'm not sure I'm ready yet, Rick."

"I know," he kissed the top of her head. "Let's go to bed and we'll sleep on it."

**A/N #2: OMG! I struggled with the second half of this chapter. I hope everybody likes it. Please read and review. In the next chapter, more memories are going to surface, but I'm also going to move things to DC with Alexis and Brian.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. It's Monday, September 23****rd****. We finally made it!**


	8. Chapter 8--Staring Down the Dark

**Disclaimers: I guess I should do the real deal. 'Castle' belongs to Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC Studios. I take full responsibility for whatever hell I put his creations through.**

**Summary: More memories as Kate tries to build up the courage to face her fears. In DC, Brian and Alexis become closer.**

**A/N #1: The title for this chapter comes from a line that Jim Beckett says to Castle in 3x24 'Knockout.'**

**A/N #2: I live in South Texas, so I thought that I was used to humidity. But, the first time I went to Washington DC in August of 2001, I learned what true humidity really is. I made a mental note to never again visit DC in the summer. That was exactly a month before 9/11. My second trip to DC was in October of 2002, and that time I had to deal with the DC Sniper. But the weather was much better.**

Chapter 8: Staring Down the Dark

Castle was walking on the beach, holding Ariel's tiny hand as she toddled along beside him. He'd left Kate soundly sleeping in their bed almost an hour before. He'd taken her to bed the night before after she'd told him that she wanted Josh out of her head. He'd been surprised when she told him that she didn't want to make love; she just wanted him to hold her. He was more than happy to comply with her simple request.

He knew that she needed space; that she was trying to work things out in her head. He'd seen this side of her more times than he cared to count during their time together. Her father had once told Rick that she'd been like that since she was a little girl. Her mother's murder had just intensified that side of her. He knew that she'd come to him when she was ready to talk.

He smiled down at Ariel. "When we get home, we'll make mommy some strawberry smiley face pancakes," he told the little girl. "I'm glad that you seem to be doing better."

"Water!" Ariel pointed at the ocean.

"We'll come back here later with mommy. It's too early to go swimming in the ocean right now."

"Mama?"

"Mama's still asleep. Do you want to go and wake her up?"

He picked her up in his arms and began walking back toward the house. When they got inside, he put her in her high chair before going into the kitchen and whipping up a batch of strawberry smiley face pancakes. He put them on a tray along with a cup of coffee and a vase with a single rose from the garden outside. He then looked at the tray and at his small daughter, who was watching him expectantly. He set the tray on the counter and went to get the papoose pack. After strapping it on, he removed Ariel from the high chair and into the papoose pack, putting her in the front so that she was easier to remove. He then went and picked the tray up once again.

He had to walk up the stairs slowly since having Ariel dangling from his chest while carrying a tray of food threw off his center of balance considerably. He smiled when he stopped in their bedroom doorway. Kate was always beautiful, but she was especially beautiful when she slept. He walked over to the bed and placed the tray on the end of the bed before removing Ariel from the pack on his chest. "Wake mommy up," he whispered to her.

Kate felt a tiny hand gently patting her cheek and smiled as she opened her eyes. "Good morning, chunky monkey," she reached out a hand to Ari's tousled curls.

"Up, mama."

"Good morning," Castle leaned over and gently kissed her. "Ariel and I made you pancakes. Well, I made them. Ariel just oversaw the operation."

"That's sweet. Did you by any chance include coffee with the pancakes?"

"Of course," he handed her a cup.

"You're the best husband ever," she sighed as she took a sip. "Can I get up and go to the bathroom before I eat this wonderful breakfast?"

After going to the bathroom and washing her face, she returned to bed and the breakfast that Castle had prepared for her. Of course she couldn't eat pancakes without sharing with Ari, who was delighted to be having breakfast in bed. "Castle, why are her feet all sandy? I know that I gave her a bath last night."

"We went for a walk on the beach," he explained.

"And you didn't wash her feet off? Great, now there's sand all over the bed."

"We can change the sheets," he gently reminded her. "Rule number one in parenthood is don't sweat the small stuff. Children and bedding wash."

Looking into the bright, smiling face of her daughter, Kate realized that this was true. "You're right. I'm sorry. I must've really been tired. I didn't even hear the baby monitor."

"That's because I got to her before she started making a huge fuss. I changed her, fed her, although you can't tell that by the way she's acting now," he made a face as Kate laughed, "and then we went for a long walk."

"I didn't even dream last night," she smiled. "That's the first time in a while that I haven't dreamed about him."

"Mother has gone into town to do some shopping, but she has offered to keep Ariel amused this afternoon while we take a walk of our own."

"Can we go up to the bluff?"

"We can go wherever you want to go."

"Then I want to go to the bluff."

Castle had taken her to the bluff the first time he'd brought her to the house. It was a place that had only been known to him until he chose to show it to Kate. Now it belonged to both of them. They'd had many picnics in that spot that overlooked the Atlantic. Other than the front lawn, it was Kate's favorite place to be.

"Have you made a decision?"

"No. But, I will with your help."

"We'll talk about it. I figure we can head back to the city tonight around six. Alexis should be home when we get back to the loft."

"Can we drop by to see my dad before we go home? I'll call him later to see if he's being released today or tomorrow."

"We'll go and see him."

***CCC***

Exploring the monuments on the Washington Mall was a fun experience. Sharing them with your boyfriend made it all the more special. While she'd visited DC before with her dad, it was nice to see everything through someone else's eyes. Alexis' favorite was the FDR memorial. "Why do you like this one the best?" Brian asked her.

"Because of all of the waterfalls."

"I didn't know you liked waterfalls."

"Oh yeah," Alexis smiled. "Fountains and waterfalls. My dad took me to Niagara the first time when I was four and he said that I nearly fell over the railing because I was so excited. Someday I want to see all of the world's great waterfalls."

"So, our flight doesn't leave until four, which means we should be at the airport by two. What do you want to do?"

"Well, I know what _you _want to do," she looked at him as a blush began staining her cheeks.

"Is there anything wrong with that?" He walked over and pulled her into his arms, before kissing her.

"Doesn't it bother you that I'm not very . . . experienced?" Alexis made a face.

"Alexis, experience comes with time. Besides, you've shown that you're very willing to learn," he teased as she blushed even redder and buried her face into his chest. "Hey, I happen to know that there's a terrific champagne brunch at the Key Bridge Marriott. Let's go."

As he took her hand and they walked toward the metro, he found himself subconsciously circling her ring finger with his thumb. "Are we dressed okay for a Sunday brunch?" Alexis asked him.

"We're fine. We'll take the metro and then I'll call for a cab to take us to the Marriott."

"So, have you been to this brunch before?"

"A couple of times when I was younger. My mom and dad brought us to DC for the whole educational tour thing. I think my brother was thinking about Georgetown at the time. You said that your stepmom's a chocolate junkie, right?"

"Yeah."

"I have two words for you to tell her when you get back home; chocolate fountain."

"My dad would never get her out of the place," Alexis laughed. "But Brian, can I ask you to stop doing something?"

"Anything."

"Please stop referring to Kate as my stepmom. Don't get me wrong. I love my mom. But, when you meet her, you'll understand why I think of Kate more as my mom. Kate has given me great advice since I was 15 years old. I haven't always liked where her and my dad were going; but there's no doubt that they're great for each other."

"How long were your mom and dad married?"

"Just a couple of years. I was barely two years old when they divorced. Then my dad got married again when I was seven, but it didn't last very long either. After that, he played the party scene until he met Kate. He used to drive her crazy, and there were times when I really thought that she was going to kill him. But then they just started to click. I see them look at each other sometimes, and it's like there's nobody else in the room. Someday I want somebody to look at me like that."

'Somebody already does, Alexis,' he said to himself. "Have you heard anything about the guy that she shot in the apartment?"

"No, I don't want to call and keep rehashing all of that. She had a rough time after my dad rescued her from him two years ago."

"Do you dream about being attacked?" He asked her as she jerked her hand away from him.

"What do you think?"

"Alexis, I'm sorry. I—"

"Did you ever get the names of the two men who saved me?"

"Yeah. I think the cops gave them to your dad."

"I wonder if they're still in town."

"You want to meet them?"

"I want to thank them. If it hadn't been for them, he would've raped me or killed me."

"Let's go eat and spend the rest of our time in DC talking about more cheerful stuff."

"Good idea," she agreed as she reached out for his hand once again.

***CCC***

After eating lunch with Ariel, Rick took Kate out to the bluff. He brought a huge beach umbrella because it was horribly hot, but the clouds showed promise of a storm before the day was over. He opened up the umbrella and spread a blanket out on the ground before sitting down and tugging Kate's hand until she was sitting beside him. "So, what's going through your head?" He tucked a loose tendril of hair behind her ears.

"Do you know how sometimes I don't want to do anything?" She lay on her stomach, pillowing her head on her folded arms. "I opened myself up too much to him, Castle. He took everything that I ever told him and used it against me."

"Well, you were dating. It's understandable that you'd share things with him."

"No, you don't understand. I shared things with him that I'd never shared with anybody else before."

"Kate, we've talked about all of that before. It's okay. I read all about Ketamine after you were rescued. I don't want you to feel ashamed of something that you had no control over."

"There are times when you're watching TV and the sound is so loud. It takes me back to that room and how loud it was."

"Kate, I'm so sorry," he rubbed her back. "Why don't you ever say anything?"

"Because it makes me sound like I'm crazy."

"You're not crazy. Do you remember what else he said to you?"

"Castle, I remember everything he said to me," she rolled over onto her back as he lay beside her propped on one elbow. "It was mainly him taunting me. He'd get right in my face and tell me how you didn't love me; that you were never going to find me; that you'd never want me—" her voice cracked. "—You'd never want me again if you did find me."

"Oh shit," he sighed, dropping his head down to her shoulder.

"The noise was the worst. Loud noises bothered me even before he took me."

Castle knew that much was true from working the Lee Travis sniper case with her. Ordinary noises like car doors closing and sirens sent her startle reflex into overdrive. He brushed his fingers along the top of her scalp; something that he knew soothed her. "I'm sorry that I didn't find you sooner."

"No, Castle. It's okay. I knew that you were going to come," she looked into his eyes. "I willed you to come like in _'Lethal Weapon 4.' _Do you remember when you told me that you'd come for me if I willed you to?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"I don't remember much about that house. I only saw the basement and the woods. I remember the sounds and the smells. I remember . . . feeling his hands on me. He tried to give me orange juice. I knew that he was drugging me, and he told me that if I didn't drink the juice, he'd start an IV. He knew how scared I am of needles. As soon as I'd drink the juice, my head would start spinning."

"How often was he giving you the juice?"

"I don't know. At least four or five times a day, maybe more. Castle, the night before—" tears began spilling down her cheeks as he stared at her, concern etched all over his face. "—the night before, he kept up his tirade about you for hours. I started begging him to just kill me. I was beginning to feel like a mouse that was being toyed with by the family cat. I just wanted it to stop. I'm sorry that I didn't fight harder!"

"Kate, you did fight," he moved so she was forced to look at him. "If you hadn't fought, you wouldn't have gotten away from him that next morning."

"I should've fought him from the beginning."

"Hey, you fought him when it counted. If you hadn't fought him, we wouldn't have found you. If you hadn't fought him, we never would've had our beautiful Ariel."

She smiled through her tears at the thought of her beautiful, smart Ari and of the wonderful man who'd given her that most wonderful of all gifts. "I love you," she sobbed as she slipped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him closer to her.

"I love you back," he kissed her softly. "I think that if you're able to go back to that house, it's not only going to benefit you, but it's going to benefit Ariel, as well. She knows that you're troubled, Kate, but she's too young to understand why. I love listening to her while the two of you play. I've missed listening to that sound."

"So have I. Rick, when we go, we need to leave Ari with Alexis or Martha. I'm going to be a wreck and she doesn't need to see that."

"I agree." 

"I'm on call next weekend, but I'm off the weekend after. Could we go then?"

"Whenever you want. So, how do you feel?"

"Better. Let's go back to the house and get in the pool with the baby."

"Okay," he smiled, getting up and folding the umbrella and blanket before helping Kate to her feet.

Playing in the pool with Ari, Kate got caught up in the simple joy of the wonderful things in her life. Her small daughter was absolutely fearless, standing on the edge of the pool and jumping into the waiting arms of her or Castle. Even going underwater didn't scare her. She'd kick her way back to the surface, get back out and jump back in. "Castle, how old was Alexis when she learned to swim?" Kate asked after catching Ari in her arms once again.

"About her age. She learned by swimming in the tub at the loft. By the time she was three or four, she didn't want anything to do with the shallow end of the pool."

"Can you teach her?" She looked at him.

"She already knows the basics. Watch her the next time she jumps in. She knows enough to kick her legs. It's just a matter of teaching her to coordinate everything."

After playing in the pool for a while, Kate got out and removed Ari from the water, wrapping a towel around her before lying on one of the lounge chairs, and placing the baby on her chest. Lying just like that, they both fell asleep. Castle felt his heart swell as he watched them. He walked over and grabbed his phone, snapping a picture of the two of them to use for his wallpaper. "You know that Katherine hates it when you do that," he turned to find his mother watching him.

"I know, but they're both so adorable. I mean, come on! How can you resist something that cute?" He grinned.

"Didn't Kate threaten to throw your phone down the garbage disposal the next time you snapped pictures of her when she was asleep?" Martha reminded him.

"Yeah, but she didn't mean it." 

"Yes, she did," Kate mumbled sleepily. "Castle, taking pictures of me asleep is as creepy as watching me when I sleep. I look like a corpse when I'm asleep."

"No, you don't," he walked over and kissed her on the forehead. "Isn't she just the cutest thing ever?" He nodded toward Ariel, sound asleep with her thumb in her mouth, the only thing visible outside of the towel was her head.

"She's perfect," Kate smiled.

"Well, until she goes through that stage when she wants to play in the toilet," Castle made a face as Kate laughed. "That part . . . not so perfect."

"I should get her inside and get her changed if we're going to head back to the city," Kate sat up as Castle gently removed Ari from her chest and carried her inside.

***CCC***

"So, when are your folks due back?" Brian asked as Alexis came into the living room and handed him a glass of soda.

"They're probably on their way back now. I had a good time this weekend, Brian. Thanks for inviting me."

"Thank you for coming," he smiled, as he took her hand.

"Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm good."

Alexis couldn't help but notice that Brian seemed jumpy since they'd walked into the loft. "Are you okay? You seem a little . . . I don't know . . . nervous. Everything really was okay this weekend, wasn't it? I mean, I know I don't have a lot of experience—"

"Alexis, stop. The weekend was great. Really. I'd never lie about something like that. I should really get home and unpack. I'm having dinner with my folks later. I want to show them some of the pictures that I took during the trip. I'll call you later," he kissed her before she walked him to the door.

After she locked the door behind him, Alexis took out her cell and sent a text message.

***CCC***

Ari never even woke up while being changed. Kate was able to dry her off, change her, and place her in her car seat all without her waking up. "I told you, perfect," Kate smiled at Castle as he began driving toward the city.

Kate heard the text alert go off on her phone. "What's wrong?" Castle looked at her.

"Alexis wants to know if we're on our way home," she hit the contacts on her phone. "Alexis, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I was just wondering if you're on your way home." 

"We just left the house. We should be back in the city in a couple of hours. Are you sure you're okay? How was the trip?"

"I thought it was good, but now . . . I don't know. Brian's acting funny."

"Okay," Kate smiled. "We'll talk about it when we get home. Do you want your dad to pick up something for dinner?"

"I'm not hungry. I'll see you when you get home."

"Okay. We'll see you soon."

"Is she okay?" Castle asked after Kate had gotten off the phone.

"It's a girl thing, Castle."

"Well, you're always telling me that I'm a girl."

"Yeah, but something tells me that you've never suffered that awkward moment of weirdness that comes from sleeping with someone for the first time," Kate made a face.

"Okay, way too much information."

"Then, next time, don't ask," she put her hand on his thigh and squeezed.

"So, did you have that moment of weirdness after sleeping with me for the first time?" He wondered out loud.

"Yeah," she admitted. "I wondered if you snored, or if you talked in your sleep, or if the sex was really good."

"Oh, it was," he grinned at her.

"Yeah, it was," she agreed, biting her lower lip. "It still is."

"And I do talk in my sleep."

"I know."

"So, she's thinking that Brian—"

"Castle, it's better not to go there. It's just an insecurity thing. She'll be fine."

When they walked into the loft a couple of hours later, Ariel was thrilled to see her big sister. "Lex!" She ran toward her on chubby baby legs as Alexis swung her into her arms before walking over to hug her dad and Kate.

"How was DC?" Castle asked.

"It was okay," Alexis looked a little crestfallen as she forced herself to smile at her dad, knowing how much he worried about her.

"If Brian hurt you—"

"No, dad. It's nothing like that."

"Come on, you can help me give Ari a bath while your dad orders a pizza," Kate looked at her husband.

Kate took Ari into the master bath and turned on the taps while Alexis undressed her little sister. "Somebody got some sun this weekend," Alexis smiled, noticing the tan lines on Ariel's body.

"We can't keep her out of the water. So, what's going on?" Kate asked as Alexis handed Ari over to her and Kate placed her in the tub.

"I don't know. Everything seemed okay and then when we got here, Brian started acting . . . weird."

"It's always a little strange when you sleep with someone for the first time. It changes the dynamics of your relationship. He's probably just trying to adjust. So, did _you _have a good time?"

"Are you really asking me about our sex life?"

"No, I'm just trying to make sure that you're okay. I got the same question from my mom when she found out I was having sex, but I was 16 at the time, and not 21."

"I'm okay, Kate. It didn't get weird until today."

"Well, it could have something to do with the fact that you brought him into your home. The home that you share with your parents."

"Oh," Alexis said.

***CCC***

While waiting for Kate and Alexis to finish bathing Ariel, the doorbell rang. Expecting the pizza delivery man, Castle was surprised to find Brian standing there instead. "Brian, come in. I'll let Alexis know that you're here."

"No," Brian quickly stopped him. "You're the person that I want to talk to, Mr. Castle. Can we go somewhere private?"

His office was out because the girls would have to come through it from the master bedroom. "Let's go to the patio," Castle stepped aside to let the young man in. "Wait here for a moment." He walked into the master bath where Ariel was happily splashing in the tub. "Kate, could you listen for the doorbell? The pizza money's on the counter."

"Okay. Where are you going?"

"Uh, phone call. It's Gina and you know how she gets. I'm going to take it on the patio."

Castle walked back into the living room and motioned for Brian to follow him out to the patio. "Thank you, sir," Brian said after Castle closed the door behind them. "I've done a lot of thinking this weekend, and I know that Alexis and I haven't been dating for very long, but sir, I love your daughter. I'd like to ask you for her hand in marriage."

Richard Castle had been hearing those exact words in his head for 21 years now, since the very first time he held a small, screaming, redheaded bundle in his arms. He'd envisioned every possible scenario imaginable. His imaginings had become more vivid after meeting Kate and learning about her Wild Child phase. "Five months isn't a very long courtship," he finally managed to say.

"No, sir. I agree. Right now I'm a struggling law student, but I have offers already waiting for me when I graduate next May. I love your daughter very much and I'll never do anything to dishonor or disrespect her."

"Have you spoken to Alexis about this?"

"No, I wanted to talk to you first."

"I appreciate that. Do you have a ring?"

"Not yet," Brian grinned.

"Do you plan on getting a ring?"

"That all depends on you."

"Why? You're not going to be proposing to me," Castle gave the young man a wry grin.

"So, I have your permission?" Brian asked hopefully.

"Yeah, you have my permission and my blessing," Castle reached his hand out to Brian.

"Thank you, sir," Brian pumped Castle's hand enthusiastically.

"You'd better get out of here before she sees you."

"So, I come back when I have a ring?" Brian asked.

"That's usually how it works," Castle quickly walked him to the door.

The rest of the evening, Kate noticed that Castle seemed distracted. It wasn't until they went to bed that he finally confided what was going on. "Brian came by earlier," he got into bed beside Kate.

"Why was he here?"

"Kate, he asked me for Alexis' hand," Castle's eyes were bright with unshed tears.

"He asked you to . . . Castle, that's great!" Kate was laughing and crying at the same time. "What did you say?"

"The boy didn't even have a ring," Castle scoffed. "He can't ask for my baby girl's hand without a ring. I told him to come back when he had a ring. Now I feel so old."

"That explains why he was nervous. And, you're not old, Castle."

"Don't you think they should date longer?"

"Like me and you? No. Be happy for her, Castle. Please?"

"Oh, I'm happy. I just feel old."

"So, can I prove to you that you're not old?" She moved closer and reached her hand into his boxers, feeling his immediate reaction.

"Well, when you put it like that," he turned to pull her into his arms.

**A/N #3: So Brian has asked for Alexis' hand. Will she accept? Tune in to find out. Please read and review. You guys have been nothing short of amazing, so far.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. How great was Valkyrie? Looking forward to Dreamworld next week. **


	9. Chapter 9--Facing Your Demons

**Disclaimers: Nope, don't own Castle. If I did, I'd still be fangirling all day long.**

**Summary: Castle and Kate go on a road trip, while Alexis meets the two men who saved her from Josh.**

**A/N #1: There will be one more chapter after this one, which will serve as a tie-in for my next story. This is will be the last story that will serve as a continuation for another story.**

Chapter 9: Facing Your Demons

_September 1_

It was almost two in the morning when Kate entered the loft. It had been a long day at the precinct, but the case had been high profile and she had wanted to see it through to its completion. It had been a long time since she'd pulled such a long shift. She'd called Castle late the night before explaining that she was pulling a marathon interrogation with the boys and she wasn't sure when it would wrap up.

The last two weeks had been hectic. Her father had been released from the hospital and had found it harder to take care of himself than he thought. So Kate had invited him to stay at the loft with her, Castle, and Ari for a few days. From the looks and sounds of things when she came home in the afternoons, her husband and father were having a great time with the baby. And Ari loved having her grandfather around. He'd read to her and sing her funny songs. He'd even found some toddler friendly games on his iPad.

She crept upstairs to Ari's room, walking up to the crib and covering her up since she always managed to kick off her covers a few times a night. She smoothed her hand over Ari's tousled curls. Kate couldn't believe how quickly she was growing up.

She walked downstairs and into the office and put her gun in the safe before entering hers' and Castle's bedroom, smiling at the sight of her husband sprawled across the California King bed on his back, his arms flung out on both sides. She went into the bathroom and slipped out of her clothes, pulling on her boy shorts and one of Castle's t-shirts before going to her side of the bed and gently removing his arm so that she could get into bed. "Late night?" Castle asked, his voice rough with sleep as he instinctively pulled her closer.

"Yeah, we were trying to get a confession from our suspect. He finally cracked about an hour ago," she curled her body around Castle's. "The boys stuck around while he wrote out his confession. How was your night?"

"Ariel's discovered the joys of the dishwasher."

"Loading or unloading?"

"Turning it on."

"Poor Castle," she kissed his cheek. 

"I talked to Alexis. She and Brian are going to babysit this weekend while we go to Buffalo."

Buffalo. The thought of the trip filled Kate with nauseating dread. She'd spoken to the D.A. several days before and was elated when she learned that short of divine intervention, Josh wouldn't be seeing the light of day for a very long time.

"_He's going to be transferred to Bedford Hills. He won't ever be bothering you or your family ever again. If he ever does get out, he's probably going to be using a walker."_

"_How long are you talking?" Kate asked hopefully._

"_Twenty-five years minimum, but he's probably going to be there a lot longer than that. You can relax and stop worrying about him ever showing up again."_

She'd spoken to the real estate agent that was handling the sale of the property that Josh owned. The house where'd he held her for a hellish six days. She'd agreed to let Castle and Kate do a tour of the house after she'd explained why it was important that she see it.

Kate stroked her hands over Castle's chest as she tried to will herself to go to sleep. "What's wrong?" Castle mumbled as he opened his eyes. "It's going to be okay. I'll be with you every step of the way."

She smiled, wondering how Castle always seemed to know what she was thinking and what she was afraid of. "Thank you," she whispered as she slipped her leg in between his.

"Always."

***CCC***

Later that morning, Castle was in the kitchen flipping pancakes to a totally enthralled Ariel, who clapped and laughed at every flip. "Shhh, mommy's sleeping. She had a rough night."

"Throw!" Ariel threw her hands up in the air.

"If you're very quiet, I'll flip another one," he told her as the doorbell rang. He took the pan off of the stove before going to answer the door to Alexis. "Hi, pumpkin. Ariel and I are making pancakes."

"Lex! Daddy throw!"

"I'm flipping pancakes," he explained. "She's easily entertained."

"She's a toddler, dad. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. Can I interest you in some pancakes?"

"No, thanks," she nodded. "Where's Kate?"

"Asleep. She didn't get in until the wee hours of the morning. What's on your mind?"

"Do you have the names of those two men who saved me from Josh? I've never gotten a chance to thank them and I really want to."

"I think that I put them on the notepad on my phone. Watch these and I'll check. You don't have a class today?"

"No, I have to be at the morgue in an hour."

"Here you go. Jesse Winters and Aaron Kruger. I'll write their numbers down for you. The officer said that they were here on business from San Antonio, Texas. How's Brian?"

"He's good. Why?"

"Oh, I was just wondering. Maybe we can all get together for dinner once Kate and I get back from Buffalo."

"That sounds great. He was talking about you and Kate meeting his family. He has a pretty big family. Two brothers, a sister, and lots of cousins."

"Yeah, we can do that."

"I'll let you get back to your pancakes. I have to get ready for work. I'll see you later, daddy."

"Bye, pumpkin."

"What time do you want us here Saturday morning?"

"Uh, is seven okay?"

"That's fine. Bye. Bye, Ariel," Alexis kissed her sister.

"Was that Alexis?" Kate stumbled out of the bedroom, her hair sticking out in all directions.

"Yeah, she wanted the phone numbers of those two men who rescued her. Good morning," he handed her a cup of coffee before kissing her. "Ariel and I are cooking breakfast."

"I can see that," she smiled.

"Daddy throw!"

"Daddy is silly," she kissed the top of her daughter's silky hair. "Mommy needs a shower."

"I'll have your breakfast ready when you come out."

When she came out of the shower, Castle had a plate with pancakes and bacon in front of her chair. She sat down next to the high chair, shaking her head as she watched Ari enjoying her own pancakes. Kate took a bite of her pancakes and sighed. Castle was the best pancake maker in the world. Castle gave her a huge grin as he joined them at the table. "Do you want to take Ariel to the park later?"

"I'd love to, but I can't. I'm meeting Lanie for lunch. I can meet you after."

"Okay. Just text me and we'll meet you there."

"So, Brian hasn't asked her yet?" She looked across the table at Castle.

"He's probably still working up the nerve. When he talked to me that evening, I thought he was going to pass out or wet his pants."

"He was probably about to do both," Kate smiled. "Did you talk to my father before you asked me?"

"Well, I didn't _formally _ask him. But I did talk to him about it a few weeks before I made the original proposal at the swings. He told me that he hoped that you'd say yes."

Kate bit her lip. Initially she'd told him no. The DC job had been hanging over her head and she hadn't wanted to lose him. It had taken her several days to change her mind. She always felt that her demons and her walls would continue to get in the way of being happy with him. Now she couldn't begin to imagine a life without him in it. He'd remained steadfast in his love for her through all kinds of hell over the past two years since their marriage. She wondered how many other men would've stayed like Castle had. For some reason her mind immediately flashed to Josh. She knew that he would've bolted. He never even made an attempt to understand how badly she wanted to bring justice to her mother.

"What're you thinking about?" Castle's voice broke through her thoughts.

"You," she smiled.

"What about me?"

"Oh, I was just thinking of everything you've had to endure since meeting me. It can't be easy."

"No, it's not," he agreed. "But I love you. And that makes it all worthwhile. No one ever said that this was supposed to be easy. At least they never said it to me."

"Okay, stop quoting 'The Big Chill,'" she grinned at him.

"You caught that, huh?"

"Castle, you're a movie junkie. I can usually catch on to the quotes."

"It's true, though. If marriage was easy, everybody would be doing it."

"I'm going to take our sticky daughter and get her cleaned up."

***CCC***

"So, the trip upstate is still on?" Lanie asked.

"Yeah, we're leaving early Saturday morning," Kate's eyes seemed distant and troubled.

"Sweetie, if you don't want to go, just tell Castle. He'll understand."

"I need to do this, Lanie. Putting it off isn't going to make it any easier. I mean, I remember most of what happened now. There are still things about that final morning that I'm fuzzy about, but maybe going to that house will bring it back."

"Does Castle realize that you don't remember that last morning?"

"I remember some of it, just not _all _of it. I remember kicking Josh down the stairs. But I don't know how I got out of the house and I don't remember the woods until I heard Ryan and Castle calling my name."

"What do you remember?"

"Thinking that he was going to find me."

"So, how's baby Castle?" Lanie changed the subject as Kate smiled.

"She's wonderful. She's so smart, Lanie. It just fascinates me how someone so tiny could be so smart. And she's so affectionate. She's always wanting to be cuddled or kissed on. She's so like Castle in that respect."

"So, are you still trying for number two?"

"Yeah, but so far, it's been a bust. I don't get it, Lanie. The first baby that I lost was unplanned, and it still hurts that Ari doesn't have an older brother or sister, but I've made my peace with that. But Ari was planned almost down to the second. And she was conceived exactly as Castle and I planned. But this time it's just not working."

"Sweetie, maybe you're just trying too hard. Have you talked to your doctor?"

"She says that I'm fine. She said that it sometimes just takes time."

"And she's right. Stop stressing about it so much and just enjoy Ariel. Besides, once you have another one, you'll have to divide your attention, which isn't going to be easy for you or her."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Kate, it's going to happen. As much as you and Castle do it, you'll have that dozen he talked about in his wedding vows before you know it."

"I don't necessarily want a dozen, Lanie, but one more would be nice."

***CCC***

That afternoon after getting home from the morgue, Alexis took out the piece of paper that her father had given her with the phone numbers of the two men who'd saved her that night a few weeks before. It rang twice before it was picked up. "Hello?"

"May I speak to Jesse Winters, please?" 

"This is Jesse," the voice on the other end of the line had a slight Southern drawl to it.

"Mr. Winters, my name is Alexis Castle. A couple of weeks ago, you and your friend saved me—"

"Oh my gosh! How are you? Are you okay? My partner and I tried to find out if you were all right, but nobody would tell us anything."

"I'm fine, Mister—"

"Mr. Winters is my father. I'm Jesse, please. Are you out of the hospital?"

"I was released right after the attack. I wanted to thank you and your friend for chasing off my attacker."

"You're very welcome. Did they ever catch him?"

"Yes, he was caught a week after my attack. The next time you're in New York—"

"Ms. Castle, we're still here for another couple of days. We're leaving Sunday night to head back to San Antonio. Aaron is here with me, but he can't come to the phone right now. I'll be sure to let him know that you called and that you're okay."

"I know that my dad would also like to personally thank you. Maybe we could all meet for brunch this Sunday at The Four Seasons," Alexis suggested.

"Young lady, that sounds wonderful."

"We'll see you then."

"Looking forward to it," Jesse said as they ended the call.

Alexis hung up and called her dad. She could hear Ariel squealing in the background. "Hi, pumpkin," Castle answered the phone.

"Dad, I just talked to one of the men who saved me. He said that he and his partner are in town through Sunday night. I made plans to meet them at The Four Seasons for Sunday brunch. Can you and Kate come, too? I know that you also wanted to thank them."

"Yes, I would. Kate and I will meet you at 10:30 Sunday morning."

"Great! I'll see you Saturday to babysit. I love you."

"I love you too, pumpkin."

He glanced at his watch after he ended the call with his daughter. It was after four. He found himself wondering where Kate was. They'd made plans to meet at the park after her lunch date, but she'd texted him and canceled, which was unlike her, especially where Ariel was concerned. He knew that she was uptight about the trip to Buffalo, but she'd be the last person to admit it to him. Like her father had told him once; Kate would never admit to being scared of anything. She'd just stare down whatever was scaring her and will it to go away. He pulled out his phone and texted her: **'Are you ok? Do u want me 2 meet u somewhere?'**

***CCC***

"Was that Rick?" Jim Beckett asked, as he walked over and handed Kate a cup of coffee.

"Yeah. I should call and let him know where I am." He nodded, so she pulled out her phone and hit his number. He answered on the first ring. "Hi."

"Hi. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm at my dad's. I'll be home in a little while. Is Ari okay?"

"She's fine. She misses her mommy."

"I'll be home soon. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Have you told him how you feel about going to that house?" Jim asked after she ended her call.

"I can't. He's so anxious for me to put all of this behind me. I can't let him down."

"Katie, if you're not ready, you have to tell him. You're the one who lived through what Josh did to you. Rick showed up after everything had already happened. He doesn't understand and you can't expect him to. But it's not fair of him to force you to relive it if you're not ready. At the very least you need to sit and talk to him about what you fear."

"Do you think that I'm hiding again?"

"Honestly? Yes, I do. You're afraid to talk to him because you're afraid that he's going to be angry or annoyed at you. It's never going to go away, Katie. Not even going to that house is going to erase what happened. No more than us revisiting that alley made what happened to your mother go away. But I do know that Rick loves you and he'll do anything to shield you from pain. Those six days were awful for him too, Katie. We all suffered, but I don't think anyone could possibly hurt more than Rick. Maybe revisiting that house is also his way of trying to close those wounds. Has he ever talked about that day that he found you?"

"No, not really."

"Have you asked him?"

"No," she shook her head. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"You must've been scared, too."

"I was. I'd already lost your mom, Katie. I didn't want to lose you, too."

"I just don't understand why I never saw it. I'm a cop. I'm taught to rely on my instincts."

"He didn't want you to see that side of him, Katie. Some people are good at hiding their real selves. What happened wasn't your fault."

***CCC***

When she walked into the loft an hour later, two sets of laughter greeted her; the deep belly laugh of Castle, and the baby laughter of Ari. "What're you two up to?" She walked inside and put her purse and keys on the counter.

"Mama!" Ari ran toward Kate, who scooped her up and hugged her.

"Hi," Castle got up from the floor and walked over to her. "How's your dad?"

"Sore. I'm sorry about the park." 

"It's okay. Are you okay?"

"I'm better. Are you guys hungry?"

Later that night after she'd put Ari to bed, Kate came back downstairs and found Rick writing in his office. "So, what are Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook up to tonight?"

"Staring into the face of danger," he grinned at her, saving the document and closing his laptop before shoving his chair back and holding his arms out to Beckett. She walked over and sat down on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his neck. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"In a minute. Can I ask you something first?" Her voice was muffled against his shirt collar. "What were you thinking during those six days?"

He pulled her away so that he could stare into her eyes, those brilliant green eyes that always looked at him like he was the most special person in the world. "I didn't sleep. I didn't eat. I was terrified. I hadn't even been that scared when Alexis had been taken. Because, at least with Alexis, I had the proof that she was alive. We couldn't find him anywhere. If it hadn't been for persistent digging, I don't think we ever would've found you."

"What about that last morning?"

"When we were on our way to the house, we got a call saying that they'd seen a woman running from the house. I knew that it was you. I knew that it had to be you. They took off after you, hoping to stop you, to let you know that you were safe."

Kate vaguely remembered strange voices calling out to her that morning, but like with everything else, she'd thought it was Josh trying to trick her. "I thought that he was chasing me."

"I know. When Ryan and I found you, you accused us of tricking you. When I first saw you, I thought that you were too far gone to reach. I knew that he'd drugged you, but I didn't know what he'd given you. I think Ryan suspected what you'd been given. That's why he told me to be careful and not to spook you. I wasn't sure that I was ever going to get you back. Especially when I learned . . . when that doctor at the hospital told me what he'd done to you."

"Castle, I'm scared."

"I know, but like I told you, I'll be right there beside you every step of the way. You don't have to go through it alone."

"I don't want to go down that rabbit hole again. I fought too hard to get out of it after my mom died. What if it gets bad again? What if it triggers an episode of my PTSD?"

"Then we'll work through it together. Partners, remember?"

"Are you scared?"

"Baby, I'm beyond scared. I was scared when he took you, I was scared when we found you, and I'm scared to go back to that house. But I think that this is something that we both need to do."

"You won't leave me alone?"

"Never," he smiled at her.

"Okay," she took a deep calming breath before she put her head back on his shoulder.

"Kate, it's going to be okay," he stroked her back.

***CCC***

But driving to Buffalo that Saturday morning, Castle was no longer as sure. Kate was jumpy, she was irritable, and she definitely wasn't herself. Neither of them had slept well the night before and it was showing now. It was a nice morning, the heat of the summer finally wearing off. Fall would be here before they knew it. And then winter. "We're meeting Alexis and Brian at The Four Seasons tomorrow. She's meeting the two men who saved her from Josh."

"Okay."

He knew that she was barely listening to him. "I think a giant moth just ate my clothes," he glanced over at where she was staring out her window at the passing scenery.

It took her several beats before she looked at him. "Did you just say something about a giant moth?"

"No," he shook his head. "I did say something about Alexis and Brian."

"Has he asked her to marry him?"

"No, not yet. I don't know if he's gotten cold feet or he hasn't bought the ring, yet."

She smiled, looking down at the platinum engagement ring on her own finger. It blended nicely with her wedding ring. "Maybe he's looking for the perfect ring."

"Maybe," he agreed.

She reached her hand across the seat toward him. He took one hand from the wheel and clasped his fingers around hers, squeezing her fingers before letting go and returning his hand to the wheel.

It was a six-hour drive to Lake Erie, New York, located just outside of Buffalo. Using the GPS on the Mercedes, Castle drove outside of town and followed a series of roads until he pulled into the driveway of a huge three-story house surrounded by woods. He saw a late model Lexus parked in front of the house and figured it was the real estate agent. He glanced across the seat at Kate before he stopped behind the Lexus. Her face was pale, and her eyes too huge in her face. He knew that she was being chased by ghosts again. "Are you okay?" He finally asked her.

Her heart was pounding so loudly that she barely heard Castle's question. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, letting them out slowly as Dr. Burke had taught her so long ago. Usually it calmed that panicky feeling that was building deep in her chest. But today it was just barely keeping that feeling at bay. She just wanted to do this and get it over with. She just wanted to do this and go back to the safety of New York City and the home that she now shared with Rick and Ari.

She finally opened her eyes and looked at Rick, before placing her hand over his and giving him a tentative smile. "Okay," she slowly nodded.

The real estate agent was an overly chatty woman named Alice Carter. "I always wondered what happened to you," she said after Castle had helped Kate from the car. "I think the whole town did. This was the biggest thing that had happened around here since Wally Stowe caught a 25-pound catfish in the river."

Ms. Carter's overly chatty demeanor was doing little to calm Kate's nerves, which were at the breaking point. Castle knew that she hated knowing that she'd been big news in this small town. Kate was such a private person. A lot of attention made her uncomfortable. "Could we just go into the house, please?" Castle looked at the woman.

"Of course. Follow me."

"Ms. Carter, if you'll just wait for us out here," Castle told her. "We won't be long."

"Well, all right," she finally reluctantly agreed. "The bottom lock sticks a bit."

After unlocking the door, Castle led Kate through the front door. She looked around at the empty interior of the first floor, not recognizing anything. She'd fled so quickly that morning that she hadn't taken time to look at her surroundings. "He had a desktop computer over here," Rick led her over to one wall. "His screensaver was pictures of you. I thought I was going to throw up when I saw them. Do you remember being up here?"

"No," she shook her head. "When I ran that morning, I went over to the front door," she turned and walked back to the front door. "There were four or five locks on the door. I remember thinking I was never going to get out."

"Do you want to go downstairs or do you need a minute?"

"The basement is the only room I really remember," she walked over to the door that led down to the basement. She reached behind her for Rick's hand, taking a deep breath when she felt his fingers curling around hers.

She grasped the knob and slowly turned it, looking down a darkened staircase. "The light switch is on your left about four steps down. Ryan told me."

She slowly descended the stairs, feeling the wall until she found the light switch and flipping it. A small wattage bulb barely lit the way as they walked down the stairs.

Her heart began thudding in her chest again when they got to the bottom of the stairs. Even though the room was now empty, Kate still remembered where everything had been in that room. "The bed was over there," she pointed to one corner as she walked over, still holding Rick's hand. "He kept me handcuffed and sometimes my feet were tied. But . . . but he kept me spread . . . so that . . . he could . . . play." Her voice caught on a sob as tears filled Rick's eyes, as well.

She turned her head to the far wall. Rick followed her gaze and saw a closed door. She walked over to it and pushed the door opened. He looked inside of the bathroom and tried to see it through Kate's eyes, but it was impossible. He remembered when she'd told him about the things Josh had done to her in this bathroom and about how she wanted to reclaim that part of her life. "Are you okay?"

"I'd sit in that tub and my skin would crawl when I felt him touch me. I would've rather been filthy and stink to high heaven than to ever have his hands on me. Can you please take me out of here?"

"Yeah, let's go," he tugged on her hand but she turned and wrapped herself around him. "Let's go to the woods and then we'll go home."

"I don't need the woods, Rick. You found me and I knew that I was safe. I knew that you'd come for me."

"Kate, you might not need the woods, but I do."

She pulled away and looked into his blue eyes and at the tears that were making a slow trail down his face. "Okay. Let's go to the woods."

Rick led her out of the house and into the woods where he'd finally found her on that May morning. "Do you know where you were going when you ran?"

"No. I was just looking for anything. A house or a road," she said as they continued walking. "I could hear people calling my name. But I thought Josh had called for help. Then I heard you and Ryan, but I thought it was another trick. So, I decided to go around."

"That's why you were behind us?"

"I was seeing and hearing so many things that weren't there. I still don't remember getting into the woods. I remember opening the door and running, but that's all I remember. At least until I saw you. I just wanted to touch you, but he told me . . . he'd done so many things to me. I thought that you weren't going to love me, anymore." 

"I have loved you almost from the first time you ever said my name. That's never going to stop."

"I never wanted to let go of you. That night at the hospital, I kept touching you to make sure that you were real, that you weren't just another hallucination. When he escaped, I thought that he was going to do it again, Rick. I thought that he was going to take me again. Or worse, take Ari. I wish that I'd killed him when I shoved him down those stairs."

"I know. But, we're okay. How do you feel now that you've come back here?"

"I don't know. I know that the house wasn't evil. But the man living in the house was."

"Exactly."

"Promise me something," she looked at him as he nodded. "Don't ever use this in one of the Nikki Heat books."

"Never."

***CCC***

When Kate and Castle walked into the loft that afternoon, Alexis and Brian were building block towers with Ari. Kate walked over and got on the floor beside her daughter, who was happy to see her mother, but was also having a good time with her sister. "So, did you have any trouble with her?" Kate asked.

"No, she was great, as usual. Are you okay?" Alexis asked.

"No, but ask me in a few days. I understand that we're having brunch with your heroes tomorrow."

"Yeah, I can't wait to meet them. I finally got to talk to Aaron to thank him, too."

"We don't have many cowboys on the East Coast," Castle came over and handed Kate a bottle of water before sitting on the floor with his wife and daughters.

"Dad, just because they're from Texas doesn't mean that they're cowboys," Alexis reminded her father.

"Alexis said that they're actually lawyers," Brian said. "Uh, Mr. Castle, could I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure," Castle said as he got off of the floor.

Alexis sighed as she watched the two men walk off. "Okay, what gives?" Kate asked.

"I don't know. He's been acting weird again. I thought we'd moved past all of that weird, post D.C. stuff. But, I guess not."

"Maybe he's jealous of your heroes; that you're going to meet them. Every man wants to act the hero for the woman that he loves."

"Do you really think that's it?"

"Oh, I'm sure of it," Kate smiled.

Rick led Brian into his office. Glancing into the living room, Brian stepped out of Alexis' line of sight as Castle followed him. "I talked to my parents a week ago about . . . what you and I talked about," he looked at Castle meaningfully, as Rick nodded. "My father gave me this," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "This was my grandmother's engagement ring. I was thinking that tomorrow morning at brunch; I could ask Alexis if maybe she wants to wear it."

"Brian, for that ring, I'd marry you," Castle smiled, although his eyes filled with tears.

"No offense, Mr. Castle, but you're not exactly my type. I just wanted to give you a heads up."

"I appreciate it," Castle grinned.

***CCC***

The next morning Castle was standing in front of the closet, looking in the mirror as he put his tie on for Sunday brunch. He could hear Kate in the bathroom blow drying her hair. The night before she'd awakened him in the middle of the night crying from a nightmare. He'd comforted her in the best way that he knew how, his hands and mouth slowly ghosting over every inch of her as she'd practically melted into him.

He smiled as he listened to Ariel who was playing with her toys in the middle of the bathroom floor while her mother dressed. Kate had dressed her earlier and now she was trying to keep her neat until after they ate. "Are you about ready?" She came out of the bathroom with Ari in her arms.

"Yes, I am," he turned and smiled at the two of them. "I'm a lucky man to be able to escort two such beautiful ladies to brunch."

"Well, we're lucky to be escorted by such a ruggedly handsome gentleman," she walked over and gave him a soft kiss. "Is Martha meeting us there?"

"Yes, she is. I told her to ask no questions, but her presence was requested."

Castle had told Kate the night before that Brian was going to propose. She had told Rick that he'd better call his mother or Martha would never forgive him.

***CCC***

When Alexis and Brian walked into the restaurant at The Four Seasons, Martha was already there. "Hello, darling," Martha kissed her oldest granddaughter before also kissing Brian. "Where's your father and Kate?"

"They should be here soon," Alexis assured Martha before she stepped up to the hostess' stand. "Excuse me; I have a reservation under the name Alexis Castle."

"One moment," the hostess quickly consulted her book. "We have a large table reserved for you. Two gentlemen have already inquired about you. I showed them to your table, if that's all right."

"That's fine," Alexis smiled as she gripped Brian's hand.

As they approached the table, Alexis could see two men already seated at the large round table. One of them looked to be in his late 30's with brown hair while the other looked to be several years older, with graying hair. Both were dressed in business suits. One of them stood when he saw the hostess leading Alexis, Brian, and Martha toward the table. "Are you Alexis?" He asked as she nodded. "I'm Jesse Winters and this is my partner, Aaron Kruger. It's wonderful to finally meet you."

"Same here," Alexis shook Jesse's hand. "This is my boyfriend, Brian Abernathy, and my grandmother, Martha Rodgers. My father and mother will be here soon."

"We've been very concerned about you since the night that we chased that man away from you," Aaron said. "But no one would tell us anything except that you were okay."

By the time Kate and Castle arrived, the group at the table was chatting comfortably with each other. Brian nudged Alexis, who had her back to her dad and Kate. She jumped up from the table and embraced first her dad, and then Kate, who was holding Ari. "Dad, Kate, I'd like for you to meet Jesse Winters and Aaron Kruger. This is my father, Richard Castle, and my mother, Kate Beckett. And this is my little sister, Ariel."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Jesse shook Castle's hand and then Kate's.

"Same here. I want to thank you for stepping in and saving my little girl's life," Castle's voice was thick with emotion.

"I'd like to think that someone would do the same if it were my daughter," Jesse said as they all sat down.

Kate and Rick managed to join in on the conversation that had been going on when they'd arrived. Castle glanced across the table at Brian and signaled to him. "Richard, whatever is going on with you?" Martha scolded him. "Stop being so fidgety."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. R.," Brian told her. "It's my fault that he's acting like that. You see, I have an announcement to make."

Kate reached under the table for Castle's hand, smiling at her husband, who looked like he was about to burst into tears. "Keep a lid on it," she whispered to him. "You're going to blow it before he even gets to ask."

Brian took a deep breath as he got to his feet and reached into his pocket before going to one knee in front of Alexis' chair. The young redhead looked first at Brian, then at her father, and then back at Brian in stunned disbelief. "A few weeks ago, I had a talk with your dad. He gave me the answer that I was hoping for, but he told me that I'd better not talk to you until I had a ring. So, last week I talked to my parents. Alexis, this ring belonged to my grandmother. But, I'd really like it if it belonged to you. So, Alexis Castle, will you marry me?"

"Yes," she breathed out as everybody at the table let out the breaths they'd been collectively holding. "Yes, Brian, I'll marry you."

Everybody at the table clapped while they watched Brian slip the ring onto her finger before pulling her to her feet and kissing her. After that, everybody seemed to be hugging everybody. "So, let me see the ring," Kate told her when it was her turn to hug Alexis.

The ring was beautiful. It had a large diamond surrounded by four smaller diamonds. The setting was perfect for Alexis' hand. "I can't believe it," Alexis breathed.

She pulled back from Kate and looked at her father who was watching her with a mixture of pride and sadness etched on his face. "I guess that means you're not my little girl, anymore."

"Daddy, I'm always going to need you a little bit. Thank you for giving Brian your blessing."

"You're welcome, pumpkin," he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

Kate took Ari out of her high chair to join in on the celebration. "Lex is getting married. But, I bet that daddy doesn't let you get married until you're 50," she teased the little girl.

**A/N #2: I had to include the line about the giant moth from 3x04 'Punked,' because I thought that was one of the funniest lines ever. **

**A/N #3: Alexis is getting married in the next chapter which is going to jump in time a bit.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. We're a crazy bunch. Come and join the craziness.**


	10. Chapter 10--Hope for the Future

**Disclaimers: 'Castle' is owned by Andrew W. Marlowe and ABC Studios. I'm just playing mad scientist and playing with their creation.**

**Summary: A lot of stuff is going on in this chapter. A wedding, a surprise, pre-trial stuff. I'm going to cram a lot of stuff in here.**

**A/N #1: In the last chapter of 'That is True Love,' I have Kate nine months pregnant with hers' and Castle's second child. This chapter starts that process. **

**A/N #2: Since Alexis is getting married, I have to include Meredith in this final chapter.**

Chapter 10: Hope for the Future

_Almost two years later_

"Grandma, what big eyes you have," Castle read in a squeaky little girl voice as the small girl at his side giggled in delight. "All the better to see you with, the big bad wolf said."

"Daddy, you didn't make him sound mean enough," Three-year-old Ariel complained.

"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?"

"Daddy," Ariel whined. "Is mommy sick?"

"Why are you asking me that?" Castle closed the book and focused all of his attention on the little girl with the tumble of brown curls, whose smile was so much like her mother's.

"Because she had to throw up this morning. I heard her."

"I'm sure that mommy is just fine," he got up and pulled Ariel under her covers. "Tomorrow you get to wear your pretty flower girl dress."

"Is Lex getting married tomorrow?"

"No, the day after tomorrow. We have the rehearsal dinner tomorrow. Do you remember when mommy and daddy told you about how we all have to practice before Lex's wedding?" Ariel nodded solemnly. "That's why you get to wear your pretty flower girl dress."

"Mommy said if I'm really good she might let me wear a little makeup," Ariel's blue eyes grew huge in her face.

"I'll let you take that up with mommy. Goodnight, sweet pea," he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"'Night, daddy," she rolled onto her side, her hand wrapped in her favorite rag doll.

Castle left the bedroom, pulling Ariel's door partially closed before he went downstairs in search of his wife. He found her on the bathroom floor, leaning against the bathtub. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm terrific, Castle," she looked up at him with a look of shock, awe, and love all mixed together written all over her face.

"Ariel said that you were sick this morning. Are you sure that you're okay?" He lowered himself to the floor beside her. "Maybe you should go to the doctor."

"Oh, I will," she bit her lip and smiled before she pressed something into his hand. "I'll make an appointment first thing in the morning."

He glanced down at the object in his hand, a long white stick with a blue '+' sign. He stared at the plus sign for a good five minutes before looking at Kate, who was smiling broadly. "So, you peed on a stick and we have a plus sign?" She nodded. "My guys finally asked for fucking directions!" He crowed as she quickly hushed him. "Sorry."

"I've suspected for a few days. So I decided to buy a couple of tests. They both came up positive. I probably won't be able to get in to see Dr. Caulfield until after the wedding, so please don't say anything."

"Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?" He kissed her as she laughed against his mouth. "How do you feel?"

"Honestly, god awful. I think it's a boy this time, Castle."

"Well, we'll know soon enough," he kissed her again.

The next morning, after spending part of the morning retching over the toilet, Kate literally crawled into the shower. She felt so weak and shaky. She had a feeling morning sickness was going to kick her ass this time around. She heard the shower door open, followed by Castle's strong arms circling around her waist, pulling her against him. She turned and leaned into him, allowing him to hold her up. "I can't be sick, Castle. I have too much to do. I have to go to work. I have to get ready for the rehearsal dinner tonight. I don't have time to be sick."

"I'll make you some tea and crackers for the road," he kissed the top of her head as she suddenly pushed away from him and threw up all over the shower. He held her up as she violently retched.

"I'm so _not _looking forward to three months of this," she groaned.

"Are you done?" He asked as she nodded.

Until Ari's announcement that she wanted oatmeal for breakfast sent Kate bolting back to the bathroom. "See? I told you mommy was sick," Ari told her father.

"Mommy's going to be fine. What kind of oatmeal do you want?"

"Strawberry. Daddy, can Jane go to the wedding?" Ariel asked, referring to her rag doll.

"No, sweet pea. Jane has to stay home."

"But, she'll be alone and she won't have anybody to play with."

"She'll have your other toys to play with. They always come out to play when you're not at home."

"Like Doc McStuffins?" She asked, referring to one of the shows she was allowed to watch.

"Exactly," Castle finished mixing Ariel's oatmeal as Kate once again came out of the bedroom.

"I have to go," she came over and kissed Ari's long curls. "Be good for daddy."

She then walked into the kitchen and tried not to look at the concoction in her daughter's breakfast bowl. "Call Dr. Caulfield," he whispered in her ear.

"I've already left a message. I'll talk to you at lunchtime," she kissed him. "Be nice to your ex-wife," she warned him.

Castle rolled his eyes at the thought of having to see Meredith. Since his marriage to Kate and Ariel's birth, things had been somewhat rocky between the two of them. The reason for this was due to Kate and Alexis's burgeoning relationship. Meredith complained that she was being shut out. Castle felt like telling her that you actually have to be 'in' in order to be shut out, but that concept was foreign to Meredith.

"I'll be civil to her," he smiled at her.

"I'll be home by five. Will you do me a favor and try to have her dressed?" She nodded toward Ari. "I'll do her hair when I get home."

"I'll manage. I can even manage her hair, if you want. I was quite the hairdresser when Alexis was growing up."

"I'll do her hair," she repeated. 

***CCC***

"I just don't understand why you have _all _of your father's friends in your wedding party," Meredith complained once again as Alexis rolled her eyes.

"They're not _all _in my wedding party," Alexis corrected her. "Some of my school friends are in my wedding party, too. I asked Javi and Kevin to be ushers because they're dad and mom . . . Kate's best friends and they've always been there for me. Jenny Ryan's my matron of honor because I don't know any other married women except for Kate –"

"Who you decided is the mother of the bride," Meredith said in a huff.

"Mom, please stop," Alexis pleaded with her. "You're my mother and I love you, but we've never had that kind of a mother/daughter relationship. It doesn't mean that I love you less, because I don't. You're the one who wants to go shopping with me. Kate doesn't do any of that. But I can talk to her about sex and falling in love. She's the one who sets me straight when she thinks I'm headed in the wrong direction. Please tell me that you're not going to make a scene tomorrow afternoon. This is the most important day in my life."

"I'm not going to ruin your wedding. Oh my god, my little girl is going to get married," Meredith gushed while Alexis fought to keep the eye rolling to a minimum.

She remembered a conversation she'd had with her dad and Kate a few weeks before when they were discussing the wedding.

"_Dad, how are you going to answer when the minister asks 'Who gives this woman to this man?'"_

"_Well, the traditional answer is 'Her mother and I do.' Why? Do you want me to answer differently?"_

"_Well, this is Meredith that we're talking about. If you say, 'her mother and I do,' then she's going to assume that you're talking about Kate."_

"_And she would be correct," Castle told Alexis._

"_Dad, I don't want my wedding to be 'Film at 11.' We need to amend that statement, somehow."_

So Castle had amended the statement so that both Kate and Meredith received equal billing. Alexis hadn't realized how much planning a wedding involved being a circus juggler, as well. She was falling in bed exhausted every night when she wasn't crying in Brian's arms, wondering out loud why they hadn't eloped.

***CCC***

Kate was sitting in front of her computer fighting off massive waves of nausea. She'd gotten lucky and had managed to get an early afternoon appointment with Dr. Caulfield. So that just left getting through the morning. "Are you okay?" She looked to her right to find Ryan standing there. "You look exhausted."

"Thanks, Ryan. You look great, too."

"Um, Beckett, I saw on the news last night – they were talking about Bracken's trial. Is it really going to start in two weeks?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I've been so busy helping Alexis with the wedding that I haven't given it a lot of thought."

"That's probably a good thing, though."

"I guess."

It had taken more than three years for the former Senator's trial to start. He'd been in custody for five months, but had then been released on house arrest ever since. Kate remembered those days of being guarded after an attempt had been made on her life. After it was all over, the FBI had found a recording; a recording that Kate and her father still hadn't listened to, where Bracken was heard specifically ordering the hit on her mother. She'd already been warned that the recording would be played at the trial. The prosecution had managed to get it admitted into evidence, despite Bracken's defense team's objections.

***CCC***

Castle was at his laptop while Ariel played with her dolls in a corner of the office. He smiled as he listened to her chatter. Kate often commented that their daughter had inherited her father's gift for gab, because quiet, she wasn't. If she wasn't asking hundreds of questions, she was making observations. And Castle had noticed that although barely three years old, Ariel Johanna Castle was very observant. He was convinced that she'd inherited that trait from Kate.

He looked to his right to find a pair of bright blue eyes watching him. "Yes, ma'am? How may I help you today?"

"Why is Lex so big and I'm so little? Haley's three, but Braxton is four. Why isn't Lex my age?"

"Because, you and Lex have different mommies," Castle lifted Ariel up and placed her on the edge of his desk. "Meredith is Lex's mommy."

"But you're Lex's daddy, too?"

"Yes, I'm Lex's daddy, but Lex was born a long time ago. I met your mommy and we got married, and that's when we had you. Does that make sense?"

"No."

"Well, you know what? You'll understand when you're older."

"Is your next little girl going to have another mommy?"

"What? No. Sweetie, you're too little to ask such big girl questions. Why don't you go play?"

"Can we play CandyLand?"

"Yes, we can play CandyLand," he chuckled, saving his document and closing the lid on his laptop.

***CCC***

Early that afternoon, Kate was lying on an examination table in her OB/GYN's office, tears rolling down her face as she stared at the image on the ultrasound. "I told you that all you needed to do was relax and be patient," Dr. Caulfield smiled at her patient. "I'd say that you're about six weeks pregnant, which would put your due date at early January."

"Everything looks okay?"

"So far, everything looks great."

"I've been so horrendously sick the last few days," she complained.

"Every pregnancy is different, Kate. Just keep some saltines on hand to nibble on when you feel queasy. Listen to your body, just like you did with Ariel. Congratulations."

***CCC***

"I love my pretty flower girl dress," Ariel twirled in front of the full-length mirror in the master bedroom. "Do you know why, daddy?"

"No, why?" Castle smiled at his miniature version of Kate.

"Because it has my best colors in it. Pink and purple. And it has flowers on it."

It was a beautiful dress. The bodice was pink with bright flowers on it while the skirt was purple with flowers along the bottom. It was full and Ariel loved to twirl around in it. Paired with white tights and white patent leather shoes, Ariel totally rocked the flower girl look. "Mommy is going to fix your hair as soon as she gets home, so I need for you to do something for me. As soon as I finish getting you dressed, you need to go upstairs and play in your room."

"Can I play with my board?"

"No, not the chalkboard!" Castle answered in horror. "Why don't you have a tea party with Jane and your other dolls?"

"Daddy, tea parties are only for gram," she gave her father an eye roll that her mother would've been proud of.

"Please play with your dolls," he begged her.

"Okay."

He sighed as he tied a perfect bow in the back of Ariel's dress. This child was three going on 23. She was far too smart for her own good sometimes. As soon as he finished with the dress, Ariel kissed him and ran up to her room. He glanced at his watch. His mother was due over in the next hour. He was hoping that Martha could keep the boundless bundle of energy that was Ariel occupied while he took a shower and got dressed himself.

***CCC***

When Kate went back to the precinct, she spent 45 minutes in the bathroom sobbing over the sonogram picture in her hand. While she was thrilled to be pregnant, the timing couldn't have been worse. Bracken's trial was about to start, and she feared what the stress would do to her body. She knew that Castle had a trip to L.A. planned for the early fall to promote the newest Nikki Heat movie, _Frozen Heat_. He also had a book tour planned for later in the year. It was short by his usual tour standards, only three weeks, but that seemed like a lifetime with the trial and a new pregnancy hanging over her head.

She took her phone out when she heard it buzz. **'How r u feeling? Sending u a picture of Ariel in her pretty flower girl dress. ILY.'**

Kate smiled when the picture uploaded to her phone. When did her tiny baby girl start looking so grown up? She dialed Alexis' number. "Hey, did you see Ari in her dress?"

"Yeah, dad just sent me a picture. She's going to be the cutest flower girl ever."

"I just hope she doesn't pick tonight or tomorrow to remind us that she's three," Kate cringed at the thought of her small daughter throwing a ill-timed temper tantrum.

"Well, if she does, we just have to keep in mind that she is three, although she doesn't act like it most of the time."

"How are you holding up?" Kate asked.

"I'm nervous."

"Are you still coming home with us after the rehearsal dinner?"

"Yeah. Everybody is insistent that it's bad luck for Brian to see me the night before the wedding."

"Well, we'll see you at the hall at six. I love you."

"I love you too, Kate. I'll see you soon."

Kate hung up, knowing that Meredith had to have been within earshot, because lately Alexis referred to Kate as 'mom.' She'd told her when Ari was a baby that it was just less complicated, but she'd finally admitted during a girl's night with Lanie and Jenny that she considered Kate to be more of a mom than Meredith. She smiled thinking of the young woman that she'd watched grow from a shy teenager into a young woman who was getting married in less than 24 hours.

***CCC***

When Kate entered the loft shortly after five, everything was quiet. "Hello!" She called out.

"I'm getting dressed!" She heard Castle's voice calling from the bedroom.

She entered the bedroom and smiled as she watched Rick tying the tie for his Armani suit. "I love that suit," she walked over and wrapped her arms around him. "You smell wonderful."

"Thank you," he turned and clasped his hands together behind her. "Mother is upstairs with Ariel, having a tea party. How was your day?"

"I have something to show you," she bit her lip as she opened her purse and removed a small envelope and handed it to him.

He opened the envelope and removed the contents as his eyes filled with tears. "It's official then?" He asked as he stared at the sonogram picture.

"It doesn't get much more official than that."

"Oh Kate, this is great! I'm so happy! Can we tell everybody tonight?"

"Uh, why don't we wait until after the wedding? This is Alexis and Brian's time. I don't want to take anything away from them."

"Okay. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm more than okay. I'm just a little nervous about the trial and you having to go away in the fall."

"It's going to be okay."

"I know. I have to get dressed or we're going to be late."

After she dressed and did her hair, Kate placed Ari between her knees and began the task of meticulously curling the toddler's almost waist length hair. Everywhere they went, strangers would comment on Ari's hair. Kate had remembered when she was small how her mother would take her curls and twine them around her fingers, until ringlets would form. So, that was what Kate now did with Ari's hair. It was a long, time consuming process, but the end result was so worth it. After creating eight ringlets, Kate tied her hair back and fastened a huge bow in it. "You look scrumptious," Kate kissed Ari on the neck, causing her to break out in giggles.

"Can I have some makeup?"

"Daddy is going to kill me," Kate whispered as she took her makeup brush and applied a small amount of blush to her daughter's cheeks.

Kate stood up and brushed the stray hair off of her dress with a lint brush before grabbing her wrap and taking her daughter by the hand, they left the master bedroom to the living room where Castle and Martha were both waiting.

"Katherine, you look amazing," Martha breathed.

"Thank you, Martha," Kate smiled as her eyes met Castle's. Kate's dress was midnight blue and clung to her like a second skin. She had paired it with a sapphire necklace, bracelet and matching earrings.

The rehearsal dinner went off without a hitch. Ariel had fallen asleep in the Town Car on the way home so Castle carried her up to her room and put her in bed before coming downstairs to the living room. He smiled at Kate and Alexis sitting at the kitchen counter. "Is the loft going to look different after I get married?" Alexis wondered out loud.

"No, but you're going to feel different when you visit," Castle kissed the top of her head.

"I remember sliding in the upstairs hallway in my socks and having insane laser tag matches. Do you remember when I dropped from the ceiling?"

"How can I forget? You and your gram set me up," he frowned. "So what are our plans for your last night as a single lady?"

"Wedding movies," Alexis looked at Kate as her father groaned. "'Steel Magnolias,' 'Father of the Bride,' 'My Fair Lady.'"

"You're missing the best of them all. 'Bride of Frankenstein,'" Castle beamed as both women rolled their eyes.

They all settled on the sofa as Alexis put the first movie in the DVD player. Kate rested her head on Castle's shoulder and that was the last thing that she remembered.

She woke up to the feel of someone removing her clothes. "Castle?" She whispered, her voice thick with sleep.

"Yeah. Go back to sleep."

"So tired," her voice was slurred as she rolled over and wrapped her arms into Castle's pillow.

He got undressed and crawled into bed beside her as she transferred her arms from his pillow to him, curling herself into the warmth of his body. He smiled at the feel of Kate snuggled so tightly into his body, once again carrying his child. The miracle never failed to fascinate him. He knew how badly Kate wanted to give him a son this time, but the only thing he hoped for was a healthy child. That was the only thing that mattered.

***CCC***

"Daddy, is Kate okay?" Alexis asked the next morning.

"She throws up a lot," Ariel told her sister.

"Ariel," Castle gave his daughter a warning. Even at such a young age, she knew what it meant.

"Dad, is Kate –" Alexis glanced at her sister before continuing, "is she p-r-e-g-n-a-n-t?"

"We wanted to wait until after the wedding to make an official announcement. I just found out yesterday."

"That's great!" Alexis ran around the counter and hugged him. "I'm going to go check on Kate!"

At the moment, Kate just wanted someone to shoot her and put her out of her misery. How could she be sick when there was nothing left in her stomach to come up? She curled up by the side of the toilet and let the coolness of the tile floor wash over her flushed skin. She didn't even hear the tapping on the bathroom door until she felt someone kneeling down beside her. She opened her eyes and groaned when she saw Alexis sitting there. "I'm going to kill your father," she groaned.

"Are you going to be okay to attend my wedding?"

"Oh sweetie, I might have to sit in the front pew with a bag over my mouth, but I'm not missing your wedding," Kate struggled to sit up. "I'll be okay. The worst of it usually eases up by mid-morning. I might be nauseous, but I'll survive. Your grandmother and your mother are supposed to be here soon. Do you think you can handle things until I'm feeling a little better? I'll get Ari dressed."

"I've got it under control. Do you need anything?"

"What's Ari doing?"

"She was eating breakfast."

"Can you send her in here?" Kate smiled. Alexis left the room, but minutes later, Kate smiled when she saw a vision with flowing curls, wearing Dora the Explorer pajamas stick her head around the bathroom door. "Hey, chunky monkey. Come here a minute."

"Mommy, did you eat too much candy? I always get sick when I eat too much candy."

"No, sweetie. I didn't eat too much candy. I'll be okay in a little while. Sit and tell me a story until I feel better." Having a writer for a father had given little Ari a vivid imagination. Like her older sister, Ari was something of an old soul. "What have Jane and Alice been up to?"

"They went to the zoo," Ari warmed up to her audience. "And a tiger got out."

"Oh no, not a tiger," Kate smiled while Ari wove her tale, complete with grand hand gestures and sound effects.

***CCC***

By early afternoon, Kate felt well enough so that she could function. She got herself dressed before she went to work on Ari. "I want to see Lex's dress!" Ari protested while Kate ran a brush through her tangled curls. "Mommy, I want to see it!"

"We're all going to see it in a few minutes. Please be still so that I can do your hair."

"Mommy, it hurts!"

"Ariel Johanna Castle, don't make me put you in time out!"

Crossing her arms over her chest in defiance, Ari finally sat still enough for Kate to do her hair. She could hear Alexis and the other women in the living room. Like Ari, she couldn't wait to see Alexis' dress. Castle had left the loft an hour before to get dressed at her father's house. He'd told Kate that if he saw his daughter before he walked her down the aisle, he'd lose it. "Where's my daddy?"

"He went to Grandpa's house to get dressed."

"Why didn't he get dressed here?"

"Because he doesn't want to see Lex in her dress until the wedding."

"Why? Her dress is pretty."

"I know, but daddy wants to be surprised."

"Why?"

"You'll understand why when you're older. Let me look at you," she turned Ari around to face her. "Now remember not to dump all of your flower petals out at one time, but don't drop them one at a time, either."

"Mommy, I know," Kate laughed at how old Ari sounded.

"I know. You're the all seeing, all knowing Ariel," Kate kissed her on the cheek. "Come on, let's go see Alexis."

Kate came out of the master bedroom with Ari and they sat beside Martha on the sofa. "Meredith's upstairs with her," Martha smiled.

"That's good," Kate smiled back. "They needed this moment together. Meredith needs to see that I haven't commandeered her daughter," she held Ari's ears as she made the statement.

Upstairs, Alexis was standing in front of the full length mirror on her closet door as her mother stood right behind her. "Oh my god, Alexis. You look ravishing. Brian is a lucky man."

"Thanks, mom," Alexis smiled.

The dress was Vera Wang. It was white and covered in intricate lacework. It didn't have a train because Alexis hadn't wanted to have to deal with one. She remembered when her father had married Kate. Kate's train had gotten in the way every time she turned around. She turned to face her mom. "You look so beautiful," Meredith breathed as her eyes filled with tears.

"Mom, thank you for helping me get ready. I'm not sure I could've done this without you."

"Oh, you're welcome, baby," she hugged her tightly. "Are you ready to head to the church?"

"Yeah," Alexis smiled.

Meredith came down the stairs first followed by Alexis. Martha and Kate looked at each other and then at Alexis. "Oh Alexis," Kate breathed. "You are absolutely breathtaking."

"Thank you, Kate."

"Alexis, I loaned this to Kate when she married your father and I want you to wear it when you marry Brian," Martha came behind Alexis, clasping the ruby and diamond choker around her neck.

"Thank you, gram," Alexis turned and hugged her grandmother.

"We'd better go. The car is already downstairs waiting for us. Your father has been texting every 10 seconds."

When they got to the church, the women went with Alexis into one of the rooms to finish getting ready. They were there when they heard a knock on the door. Martha opened it to let Castle in. Kate thought that her husband looked extremely dashing in his tuxedo. His eyes filled when he got his first look at Alexis. "Wow," he managed to breathe. "Are you almost ready? Because I've been told that this is the part where I'm supposed to have a few words alone with my little girl."

"We're ready," Kate held her hand out to Ari as she followed the other women out of the room.

"We did good, didn't we, Ricky?" Meredith whispered in his ear before she left the room.

"Yeah, we did great," he forced a smile. He waited until they'd all left the room before he turned to face Alexis once again. "Just yesterday a nurse was handing me a redheaded screaming bundle in the hospital. When did you grow up?"

"According to you and gram, a long time ago."

"This is supposed to be a happy day, and it is, but according to my father-in-law, it's okay for me to feel a little sad, also. You're marrying a good man. But that good man will never love you as much as I do."

"I know, daddy," tears filled Alexis' eyes. "I love him, daddy, but you're always going to be my go-to guy."

"Sweetie, Brian is going to be your go-to guy from now on, and I'm okay with that. Because that gives me a chance to be Ariel's go-to guy."

"I hope that someday my kids think of Brian as the cool dad. You're the best, daddy," she kissed his cheek.

"I guess that the only thing left to do is to get you married," he grinned at her.

In the sanctuary, everyone was anxiously waiting for the ceremony to start. Meredith turned to Kate and took her hand. "I know that you and I have had our differences since you and Rick got married. But I want to thank you for being there when Alexis needed you. I know that I've made a lot of mistakes, but I love my daughter very much."

"I know that, Meredith. She loves you, too. I was glad to be there for her."

At that moment, the organ music changed to 'The Wedding Processional' as everybody rose to their feet. Kate grinned proudly as Ariel marched solemnly down the aisle, slowly dropping rose petals from her basket, but stopping to give her mom a wave along the way.

Everybody gave a collective gasp as Alexis came down the aisle, escorted by her very proud, albeit tearful father. When he reached the altar, he placed Alexis' hand on Brian's arm before giving her a kiss on the cheek. He then came and took his seat beside Kate, who took his hand and squeezed it. "Who gives this woman in marriage to this man?" The minister asked, looking toward Castle.

"Her mothers' and I do," he answered in a clear voice as both Kate and Meredith smiled at him.

"Perfect," Kate kissed his cheek.

"Hey, I couldn't let my baby girls' wedding be _film at 11_."

The ceremony was a blur, but tears streamed down Castle, Kate, and Meredith's faces when Alexia and Brian shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

The reception was held at The Four Seasons, where the main ballroom had been transformed into a flower filled wonderland. During the father/daughter dance, Castle held his firstborn close to him as they moved around the dance floor. Alexis smiled as they watched Ariel playing on the dance floor with Ryan's two-year-old son, Liam. "So, do you think Ariel's dancing with her future husband over there?"

"Are you kidding? I'm sending her to a convent tomorrow."

"I bet you said that about me at one time, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I probably did. You were the most beautiful bride I've ever seen."

"More beautiful than Kate?"

"No comment. Let me just say the most beautiful redheaded bride I've ever seen. How's that?"

"Okay," Alexis smiled. "I'm so glad that you're my dad."

"Oh, I'm happy to be your dad. Have I told you that you're the most amazing daughter ever?"

"Laying it on a little thick, aren't you? You're not losing me, daddy. This is just my next chapter."

"I love you, pumpkin."

"I love you too, dad."

Rick and Kate were on the dance floor later when Kate felt small hands tugging on her dress. "Hey, sweet pea," Rick scooped Ariel up and placed her so that both he and Kate could hold her between them while they danced. "Are you having fun?"

"I miss Jane," she yawned. "Can we go home now?"

"We'll go home soon," Kate told her.

Castle took her and held her so that she could put her head on his shoulder while he pulled Kate to him with his other arm. "She's asleep, isn't she?" He asked after a couple of minutes.

"Yeah, she's out," Kate smiled. "You're such a good daddy."

"That or my shoulders are just really comfortable to sleep on. All of my girls seem to like them," he smiled at her.

"Well, I like every part of you, Castle, but your shoulders are a huge favorite."

"Just think in a few months, we're going to be a family of five," he grinned at her. "Are you excited?"

"Very. I love you, Castle."

"I love you, Kate," they shared a tender kiss as one baby rested her sleepy head on her daddy's shoulder and another slept inside of its mother, protected for the time being.

**A/N #3: The final part of the trifecta might be a while in the making because I need to take care of my other fan fiction universe for a little while. I've been neglecting them for a while.**

**I can be found on Twitter Caskett1960. The fandom is in an uproar over the seating for the Paley panel. Really? **


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